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Here is a sampling of some of the messages that have made a special impact at CCiPH, and that have been transcribed or written in manuscript. Most weeks in our equipping assembly, at least one man has been asked to prepare a message that will build up believers. Often, the message is taken from the liturgical Gospel reading of the day, or it is a life message that God has been working into the fabric of that man. It is included here to build you up. |
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Shattered into God's Presence Message by Rob Fleenor in August, 2006
We often read through the book of Daniel and we notice dreams lion’s dens and fiery furnaces. But I want to look at three chapters in Daniel through the eyes of Nebuchadnezzar. You’ve heard of Nebuchadnezzar. He was the ruler of the Babylonian Empire during the sixth century B.C. Nebuchadnezzar controlled the known world. He had no challengers. He had no enemies. When a country resisted him, he took care of it. Like the nation of Judah, for instance. When the king of Judah revolted, Nebuchadnezzar took his armies and destroyed Jerusalem, burning the temple to the ground, and carting off both treasures and people. With no one left in the land, there’s no chance for an uprising. What do you do with an entire nation full of people you’ve captured? Cheap labor. But Nebuchadnezzar didn’t do that with everyone. He singled out the upper class youth, educated them in the knowledge and culture of Babylon, and made them administrators in his own government. That’s where Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego come into the picture. These four young men were Hebrew upper class youth. They were educated. So when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah, he took these educated young men, trained them to serve, and gave them desk jobs. And as you progress through the first four chapters of the book of Daniel, you’re your eye on Nebuchadnezzar, the most powerful human being on the planet, as He encounters the Living God, Lord of heaven and earth. We know who’s going to win this contest, But what will it take for Nebuchadnezzar to know God? As we go through the text, put yourself in Nebuchadnezzar’s shoes, and ask the question again: “What will it take for me to know God?” Maybe, if God just revealed something to me, I’d know Him better. If I could sit down with God, and He would tell me what His plans are for the Middle East, I would trust Him, because I knew what was just around the corner. Miraculous revelation is exactly what Nebuchadnezzar receives in Daniel chapter two. He’s asleep in his bed, and he has a dream. And his dream is so troubling, he can’t sleep. So Nebuchadnezzar summons all of the court magicians and tells them, “I had a dream I need interpreted.” And the court magicians reply, “Tell us the dream, and we’ll interpret it for you.” And Nebuchadnezzar gives them a command: “You tell me the dream, and it’s interpretation, or you’re all dead men.” The magicians told the king it’s impossible, that it had never been done.” Nebuchadnezzar is furious. He’s the most powerful man in the world, and he always gets what he wants. So Nebuchadnezzar orders the execution of all of the court magicians. Enter Daniel. Daniel stands before the king, and says, “I’ll tell you your dream and it’s interpretation. But let me make this clear. My ability to do this has nothing to do with me, and everything to do with the God in heaven who reveals mysteries.” And Daniel goes on to describe Nebuchadnezzar’s dream: There was a tall statue, and each section was made out of a different substance. The head was gold, the chest silver, the belly was bronze, the thighs were iron and the feet a mixture of iron and clay. And then a giant rock is carved from a mountain and crushes the statue and then grows into a giant mountain filling the entire earth. Daniel tells the king, “You’re looking at the next thousand years of history. Empires that rise and fall, but God’s kingdom is the one that will last forever. “ And Nebuchadnezzar is impressed. He promotes and pampers Daniel. Here’s what Nebuchadnezzar says in Daniel 2:47 "Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery." And you’d think having this amazing insight into God’s mind – this revelation by God about what was going to happened over the next ten centuries – would cause Nebuchadnezzar to know God. But it doesn’t. God is Daniel’s God, not Nebuchadnezzar’s. And there’s lots of gods, Daniel’s God is just the big dog in the kennel. We know that’s Nebuchadnezzar’s reaction when we get into chapter 3. Remember, put yourself in Nebuchadnezzar shoes. Maybe, if I just experienced God’s miraculous power, I’d know Him better. If I could just witness God doing something extraordinary – something that can’t be explained away, then I would know Him. Nebuchadnezzar gets an idea. Maybe it comes from the giant statue in his dream. He builds a ninety-foot tall statue, and spreads the word: “When the band kicks in, fall down and worship the statue.” Not a problem until three guys – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – refuse. Nebuchadnezzar gets the report that these Hebrews aren’t worshipping the statue, and he calls them in for a meeting. “Maybe you guys didn’t get the memo. When the band plays, you bow down and worship the statue. It’s either that, or you’re going to end up extra crispy in a blazing furnace.” You have to love Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego’s response. The text doesn’t even say which one spoke, but that they all replied to the king: “No way. God can deliver us from the furnace, but even if he doesn’t, we’re still not bowing down.” Nebuchadnezzar is furious. He’s the most powerful man in the world, and he always gets what he wants. He orders the furnace to be fueled seven times hotter than normal, and for the three Hebrews to be thrown in. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are tied up and carried down the slope to the furnace – a sacrificial fire pit. The furnace is so hot that the soldiers throwing the men into the fire are killed by the heat. And Nebuchadnezzar’s rage turns to satisfaction as he saw the bodies fall. And then, his satisfaction turns to shock. Nebuchadnezzar leaps to his feet, and asks his advisers for a recount. “How many guys did throw into the fire? Three?” “Three” “One, two, three…four.” And the fourth was supernatural. Nebuchadnezzar calls the three men from the furnace. With their ropes burned off, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego step out into the afternoon. Not only are none of their clothes or hair even slightly singed, they don’t even smell like smoke. And Nebuchadnezzar has never seen anything like it. He issues a law against hate speech toward God. And he promotes Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Let me read Daniel 3:26–29: Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way." And you’d think witnessing this incredible miracle – this display of God’s power over nature – would cause Nebuchadnezzar to know God. But it doesn’t. God is still just Shadrach’s, Meshach’s and Abednego’s God, not Nebuchadnezzar’s. And there’s still a lot of gods, and the God of these three Hebrews is still just the big dog in the kennel. We know that’s Nebuchadnezzar’s reaction when we get into chapter 4. Nebuchadnezzar has another dream. He dreams about a giant lush tree that provides shade and shelter. And an angel commands the tree to be cut down, and for the tree to live among the plants and animals for seven years. Nebuchadnezzar has no idea what the dream means, so Daniel tells him. The tree is Nebuchadnezzar, and he’s going to be driven out of his palace and away from people, and he’s going to live a homeless, deranged life for seven years until he acknowledges God. And Daniel boldly tells Nebuchadnezzar to repent and avoid the punishment. And I wonder if Nebuchadnezzar is furious. After all, he’s the most powerful man in the world, and he always gets what he wants. It’s a year later when Nebuchadnezzar is standing on the roof of his palace, and you get the feeling that he’s ignored everything Daniel said. Nebuchadnezzar looks out over the splendor of the city of Babylon, thinks about his empire, and congratulates himself on his power and glory. And a voice from heaven tells Nebuchadnezzar “It’s time for you to be driven away.” And mental illness possesses him, and Nebuchadnezzar spends the next seven years living with animals, eating grass, with his hair matting together and his fingernails growing like claws. At the word of God, he becomes as insignificant and powerless as an animal. Here are Nebuchadnezzar’s own words in Daniel 4:34–37 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. Notice that when Nebuchadnezzar talks about God, it’s personal. And there are no other dogs in the kennel. God is the most high by Himself. What makes the difference? I think it’s the same for Nebuchadnezzar as it is for us. Revelation is good, experiencing the miraculous is good, but nothing brings us into the presence of God like being driven into the desert. Maybe Nebuchadnezzar’s shoes are just about your size. I wonder if somewhere along the line, we’ve learned to resist the desert. We do everything we can to keep ourselves from being in a place where we’re spiritually dry. So we wrap ourselves in a protective cocoon of security because we fear the struggle of the desert. We insulate ourselves from God and then we wonder why we’re not closer to Him. We avoid trust by filling our lives with things. We avoid holiness by settling for entertainment. We resist suffering by surrounding ourselves with all the comforts our culture provides. And yet things don’t satisfy, and we get bored with entertainment, and comfort leaves us with a sense of needing something more. And I think it’s all because we’ve tricked ourselves into believing that God is easiest to find during the good times. When things are going well in life – when the job’s good, and health is good, and the kids are good, and worship is good, and the preaching is good, and small group is good, and my prayer life is good, and God’s power seems like it’s everywhere – that’s when we’ve trained ourselves to look for God. But in the desert, all those things that we insulate ourselves with are burned away by the heat and the dryness. Michael Wilson said it this way: “The desert involves the death of illusion.” In the desert, the things we’ve trusted in are revealed as mirages that melt away as sand runs through our fingers. In the desert our thirst isn’t just a habit – drinking water because we’re surrounded with water. In the desert, our very spiritual survival depends on finding enough to drink for today. Enough spiritual water to drink to let us continue on our journey. God’s grace, God’s power, and His generosity and provision don’t often draw us into his presence like the desert does. The desert puts God at the center of our priority list, because nothing else matters. He’s the water we long for. The greatest names in the Bible all drew closer to God while in a physical or spiritual desert. Moses, David, Jeremiah, Elijah, Jesus, Paul – All knew first hand the desperate thirst for God that comes with time spent in the desert. This month we’re going to be talking about those spiritual dry times that we all have. How do we deal with them? How do I pursue intimacy with God when it feels like He’s left me all alone? Is it possible to flourish, even when it feels like I’m dying of thirst? Are there some survival tips – ways to survive the heat? When will it end? We want to work through those questions and others as we look at events in the life of Jeremiah, Elijah, and Jesus. But for today, carry this one thought with you: Don’t resist the desert. It may just be that God is planning on meeting you there. |
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