Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe, have you discovered? That your pride leads to you making a lot of mistakes. In fact, from the story in Daniel, we see from Nebuchadnezzar that pride, in a sense, is a form of insanity. In which we live in an unreal world with ourselves at the very center of the world, as if the whole world is revolving around us. Welcome to The Verdict with Pastor John Monroe.
We're all familiar with the sin of pride, aren't we? We're all guilty of it. although we might be quicker to point it out in the lives of others, right? Today, we're thinking of pride as we look at the life of King Nebuchadnezzar, the exceptionally proud ruler of the Babylonian Empire. But remember, pride comes before the fall.
Now, continuing our study in Daniel, here's Pastor John Monroe. Daniel was born in Israel, but is taken prisoner by the Babylonians under the command of the mighty king Nebuchadnezzar. He goes through a re-education process in Babylon. but does not bow to the idolatry of the Babylonians. As we come now to Daniel chapter 4, we will continue to see the utter arrogance of King Nebuchadnezzar.
He puts himself in the very center of the world. After all, he thinks he's the most powerful man in the world. But life Is about to take a dramatic and unexpected turn for King Nebuchadnezzar. He's about to experience a great fall. Any pride in your life?
Any element of this arrogant spirit of Babylon that's mentioned throughout scripture? Let's learn from this fascinating story of ancient Babylon.
Some of you will remember Muhammad Ali, who said, I'm not the greatest, I'm the double greatest. Not only do I knock them out, I pick the round. But it's not only Muhammad Ali who thinks he's the greatest. Eight hundred and twenty-nine students were asked to rate themselves as to their ability to get along with others. How would you today rate yourself On your ability to get along with other people.
A hundred percent of the students rated themselves above average. Sixty percent of the students saw themselves in the top ten percent. Twenty-five of the students ever so humbly rated themselves in the top one percent. It's not just Muhammad Ali who thinks he's the greatest. In an essay in Time magazine, November 9 this year, Nancy Gibbs writes an article called The Age of Arrogance.
She writes, Professional athletes flaunted their immodesty, egos on steroids, bashing at the plate and dancing in the end zones.
Now I was in Pittsburgh. Chuck Noll used to say to the Steelers, When you make a good play, pretend that isn't the first time you've done it. But today we've got athletes getting paid millions who jump around for doing what they're paid a lot to do. The article goes on to say, Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio, whose name was synonymous with greatness and grace? Developers etch their names into their towers in letters six feet high.
Financiers built cottages the size of cathedrals. Politicians talked louder but did less, or declared missions accomplished that had barely begun. Apparently A lot of us think That we're great. Today we look at Nebuchadnezzar. The king.
The great king of Babylon. the great. A man who puts himself at the very centre of the universe. But proud Nebuchadnezzar, as we will learn, is heading for a fall. I'll ask you to open your Bibles to Daniel 4, and we'll read from verse 10.
Daniel 4. Verse ten, where we will see Nebuchadnezzar's dream. The visions of my head as I lay in bed were these: I saw, and behold, a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great. The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven. And it was visible to the end of the whole earth.
His leaves were beautiful and his fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heaven lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it. I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. He proclaimed aloud, and said thus, Chop down the tree, and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves, and scatter its fruit. Lest the beasts flee from under it.
and the birds from its branches. But leave the stump of its roots in the earth. Bound with a band of iron and bronze amid the tender grass of the field. Let him be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth.
Let his mind be changed from a man's. And let a beast's mind be given to him. And let seven periods of time Pass. Over him. What a strange dream.
Now Daniel's interpretation of the dream. Let's break into verse Yeah. Here is Daniel giving the interpretation of the dream to Nebuchadnezzar. Verse 20: The tree you saw, which grew and became strong.
so that its top reached to heaven and it was visible to the end of the whole earth, whose leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in which was food for all, under which beasts of the field found shade, and in whose branches the birds of the heavens lived. It is you, O King. You have grown and become strong. Your greatness has grown and reaches to heaven. and your dominion to the ends of the earth.
And because the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, Chop down the tree and destroy it. But leave the stump of its roots in the earth. bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field, and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field till seven times. Seven periods of time. Pass over him.
This is the interpretation, O King. It is a decree of the Most High which has come upon my Lord the King. That you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know. That the Most High rules the kingdoms of man and gives it to whom He will.
And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know. That heaven Rules.
Now the fulfilment of the dream verse Yeah. All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months, he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. The king answered and said, Is not this great Babylon Which I've built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty. While the words were still in the king's mouth, There fell a voice from heaven.
O King Nebuchadnezzar. To you it is spoken. The kingdom has departed from you. And you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you until you know.
That the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men, and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hair grew as long as eagle's feathers, and his nails. were like birds. Clause.
Pride. before the fall. When circus acrobat Philip Pettit was rehearsing in Bayfront Auditorium St. Petersburg, Florida, he fell about 30 feet. to a concrete floor.
According to a witness, Pettit rolled over on his stomach and he began pounding the floor with his fists and cried, I can't believe it, I can't believe it, I don't ever fall. But the proud acrobat had indeed Follow it. And that's our subject this morning pride. Before I want us to think of three principles, three lessons from Daniel 4. Which will help us deal with our pride.
Easy to laugh at Muhammad Ali. Easy to point to Nebuchadnezzar, but this message. is for you. And that's for me. The first Principle we learn from Daniel four is that God Judges.
The proud. God judges the proud. Consider the pride of Nebuchadnezzar, neatly summarized in verse thirty. As the king is out for a walk, even after he's given the interpretation of the dream by Daniel, And he says, is not as he looks at the great Babylon, he says, is not this great Babylon which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty? What pride?
What arrogance look what I have done. Several years ago, a flamboyant figure strode into the witness stand in a court of law and was sworn in. He was instructed. State your name. And they replied, Frank Lloyd Wright.
Occupation He says, I'm the world's greatest living architect.
Some of you, as I have, have admired the amazing work of that brilliant architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Afterwards, one of his friends said, Frank, How could you say such a thing in a court of law? To which he replied simply, I had to. I was under oath. And from a human perspective, Nebuchadnezzar, like Frank Lloyd, writes.
had a lot to be proud of. For 43 years, Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon the Great. He defeated Assyria. He defeated the world powers. Under his leadership, Babylon became the superpower of the world.
No wonder he says, Is not this Babylon which I? Have built. There was enough space on the top of the walls of Babylon to enable, we are told, a four-horse chariot. To turn around. There was a temple built in the form of a pyramid 600 feet high.
Nebuchadnezzar It's full of pride. Nebuchadnezzar thinks. That he is. The greatest. He's on an ego trip.
He is Superman, the most powerful man in the world. And he considers himself the source of his own greatness. He's the sovereign. He's at the very center of the entire universe. The whole world revolves around King Nebuchadnezzar.
the great. The classic example of pride. and hubris. Look at how great I am. Look at what I have done.
That's the pride. of Nebuchadnezzar. But Let's consider Your pride. and my pride. CS Lewis.
Writes in mere Christianity, there is one vice of which no man in the world is free. which everyone in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else. The more we have it in ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. The sin of pride. I think C.S.
Lewis is right. It's the most basic sin. It's the most fundamental. All of the other sins, in a sense, flow from pride. It is the only disease known to man that makes everyone sick except the person who has it.
A woman in her late twenties made an appointment to talk with her. Her pastor about a sin, she said, Pastor, which deeply concerns me. And so she arranged to meet her pastor. And she says, Pastor, I've become aware of a terrible sin in my life. Every time I go into church and I look around at the other woman, I realize I'm the most beautiful woman in the whole congregation.
Not one of the other women can compare with my beauty. And I'm very concerned about this. What can I do about this sin? The wise pastor replied, Mary, that's not a sin. That's a huge mistake.
Have you discovered Of course you have. That your pride leads to you making a lot of mistakes. In fact, from this story in Daniel four We see from Nebuchadnezzar that pride in a sense is a form of insanity. In which we live in an unreal world with ourselves at the very center of the world, as if the whole world is revolving around us. And our pride distorts reality.
It gives us a false view of life. It distorts how we see other people and how we perceive other people looking at us. It creates And then reality. leading Not only to mistakes, but huge. sense.
Pride shows itself in a multitude of ways. There's the obvious arrogance of Nebuchadnezzar. But there are a thousand. more subtle ways in which pride rears its ugly head. a desire for recognition.
A desire for affirmation. Pouting when we're not consulted on some matter. Resisting authority, boasting. Talking a lot instead of listening, harboring a grudge, refusing to forgive, self-pity, false modesty. Jane Austen said that nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility.
Pretending to others that you're putting yourself down, but looking to be flattered and affirmed. wanting to be served rather than to serve. Taking credit for other people's ideas. Always wanting to be center stage, always wanting to be under the spotlight, envying others, refusing to admit we're wrong, all. Pride.
And there is not one person here immune. from pride. T.S. Eliot said most of the trouble in the world is caused by people wanting to be important. Do you believe that?
Most of the trouble in the world, T. S. Eliot says. is caused by people wanting to be important. Can I say as a pastor of many years serving in different churches?
Most of the trouble in churches is caused by people wanting to be important. It's caused By pride. Any pride in your life? Oh, I'm not saying you're a Muhammad Ali or a Nebuchadnezzar, openly boastful, saying you're the greatest. But in your own little world.
There's the old Bedouin saying: a jackal is a lion in his own backyard. And in your own backyard, do you think yourself a bit of a lion? After all, in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. And in your little backyard, in your world. You think You're pretty important.
You think you're pretty good. You think you're pretty great. You're successful, you think. You're an important person. You look at your career, your success, your business, your family.
Your athletic ability, your looks. your intellectual ability, whatever it is, so you take credit. For it all. And God really is not part of the picture. You think life is all about you.
I can do it. Life is about me, my happiness, my agenda, my future. I'm the center of my life. I am on the throne of my own life. What is pride fundamentally?
It is enthroning self. and dethroning God. That's it. Putting yourself on the throne. And then your arrogance.
Trying to take God off. The throne. When you read this chapter, have you noticed that Nebuchadnezzar had several warnings? Daniel previously had told him in chapter 2, as we had learned. That although he was the head of gold, although he was at the top of the stat, you remember in the vision in Daniel 2, although he was at the top.
His kingdom would not last. That head of gold was going to topple. You remember when you threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the fiery furnace in the previous chapter? Nebuchadnezzar himself had saw not three men but four in the fiery furnace, and he himself had testified. That God, the living God, had delivered these men.
Yes, God had warned Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel himself. gives advice to Nebuchadnezzar. Verse twenty seven of Daniel four. Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you.
This is after being told he's going to become like an animal. He's going to eat. Grass like an ox. Nebuchadnezzar, it's going to happen to you. Break off your sins.
by practicing righteousness. And your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity. Daniel is saying, Nebuchadnezzar, I'm warning you. This is what's going to happen to you unless you get your life. Right with God.
And you end. You're sitting. But Nebuchadnezzar doesn't heed the wise counsel. And for a whole year, for twelve months. It seems that this dream was just merely a dream.
Life goes on for Nebuchadnezzar. He continues in his pride. He continues in his arrogance. And God seems to be withholding his judgment. And no doubt Nebuchadnezzar thought, well, it's just a dream.
And what does this old Jewish man really know about it? The many warnings Had fallen. on deaf ears. Job 33 verse 14 says, For God speaks in one way and in two, though man does not perceive it. God had spoken several times to Nebuchadnezzar, but he still refused to humble himself.
His heart remained hardened, as we see in verse thirty. Look at the great Babylon that I've built with my power and for my majesty. It's all about you, Nebuchadnezzar, isn't it? His heart. remains hardened.
The old blacksmith, but A new dog. Initially, the dog barked fiercely as the blacksmith's hammer beat rhythmically on the metal of the horseshoes.
However, as time went by, The barking became quieter and less frequent. Then one day, Going into the blacksmith shop, a man heard the blacksmith hammering away on the anvil. and saw the dog by the fire. Fast asleep. Silent.
At last. The dog had grown accustomed. To the noise and to the hammering. by the blacksmith. And Neb, you couldn't answer.
had grown accustomed to the hammering of the voice. of God He had ignored the divine warnings. He does not repent of his arrogance. His heart is hard. And his pride.
It's gonna lead. to a fall. Remember what the mother whale said to the baby whale? When you get to the top and start to blow, that's when you get harpooned. And Nebuchadnezzar had got to the top of his world, and my did he blow.
Look at me. Ah, but now he's gonna get harpooned. He's turned from the voice of God. And he's going to learn. that God Always.
always hates pride. What was Satan's sin? Pride. Our holy God always hates pride, and he now acts in judgment. Verse thirty-one.
The words of his arrogance, the words of his hubris were still in his mouth. There fell a voice from heaven: O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you, and you'll be driven from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. That's it. And in a moment. the whole of Nebuchadnezzar's life.
has changed. Paul is going to tell us in the New Testament that God is not mocked. What a man sows He reaps. And Superman now becomes sub. Man.
The greatest man in the world loses his mind. and is reduced to eating grass. Like the beast of the field. This is the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Pride is the great universal sin. none of us can say that we are exempt from pride. it manifests itself in a multitude of ways. Jesus says we are to receive the kingdom of God humbly as a child.
This is at the heart of the gospel. Will you pray for God to reveal any pride in your life? Is there any arrogance, any selfishness? Trust God today and place your faith in Jesus Christ. I know you'll not want to miss the next broadcast as we continue to learn of pride and its consequences.
Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
