Text: Daniel chapter 4
Title: God’s power verses Man’s Pride
Introduction
Daniel chapter 4 begins with great news for every believer.
“To the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: May you prosper greatly! It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures from generation to generation.” (V1-3)
The great news
1.God desires to bless his people
“To the peoples, nations and men of every language, who live in all the world: May you prosper greatly!
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
2.God desires to perform miraculous signs and wonders among his people.
“It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most
High God has performed for me.”
3. God desires to minister his power to all generations
“His dominion endures from generation to generation.”
That’s the great news!
Here is the bad news!
There is a huge obstacle that we all need to overcome in order for us to receive the blessings that God desires for all of us.
That huge obstacle…is Man’s Pride.
1.What is pride?
2.Why is it the #1 obstacle to receiving God’s blessings?
3.How do we overcome it?
What is pride?
To find the answer lets look at Daniel 4:4 and Daniel 4:29-30
(V4) I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at home in my palace, contented and prosperous.”
(V29-30) Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty.”
A.Pride is the worship of self
For we see…
1.Pride’s favorite words are the words “I” and “My”.
2.Pride never speaks of others. Pride never mentions God
3.Pride finds it contentment only in being better than others
Pride is the worship of self
Why man’s pride is the #1 obstacle to receiving God’s blessings (V5-8)
Daniel 4: 5-8
King Nebuchadnezzar said…
“I had a dream that made me afraid. As I was lying in my bed, the images and visions that passed through my mind terrified me. So I commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be brought before me to interpret the dream for me. …I told them the dream, but they could not interpret it for me.
What was it that made the king so afraid?
What was it that terrified the mind of the king?
He asked all the wise men of Babylon but they didn’t know the answer!
•We don’t know what made the king so afraid
•We don’t know what made the king so terrified
“Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream.”
Do you know what it was that terrified the king?
God showed him through Daniel the awfulness of Man’s pride!
The Bible has a lot to say about the awfulness of Man’s pride.
Proverbs 8:13 “I hate pride”
Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace.”
Proverbs 13:10 “Pride only breeds quarrels.”
Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction”
Proverbs 29:23 “A man’s pride brings him low.”
James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 both say that “God opposes the proud.”
Summary: We are to be afraid of pride. We are to be terrified of pride.
We are to be afraid and terrified of what pride can do to us.
•It keeps us far away from the blessings of God.
•It destroys our relationship with God
•It is the leading cause of sin in our lives
Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction”
Every sin that’s committed can be attributed to pride
In the Garden of Eden the Devil got Adam and Eve to sin by appealing to their pride
Genesis 3:5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
The Apostle Peter denied the Lord 3 times not because of fear but because of pride.
“Even if everyone else denies you Lord I will never deny you.”
Pride is so dangerous because we don’t see it in ourselves. We see it in others but we don’t see it ourselves.
The reason we don’t see it in ourselves is because we change its name
Instead of calling it pride we call it self-confidence!
V10-12 “Here are the visions I saw while lying in my bed: I looked and there before me stood a tree in the middle of the land. Its height was enormous. The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. Its leaves were beautiful, it’s fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the beasts of the field found shelter, and the birds of the air lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed.”
Here’s what is really hard about Man’s pride:
Lots of great things get done because of Man’s pride.
People who are trying to make a name for themselves- People who don’t acknowledge God- are doing lots of good things for others every day.
The pride of man makes any country in the world greater and stronger.
What’s so wrong with pride? What’s wrong with making a name for one self?
It’s just as much sin to do something good and be doing it for the wrong reasons.
Jesus said -that at the last day many will say “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive our demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evil doers.” (Matthew 7:22-23)
The scary thing is that he is talking here about Assemblies of God people.
They were doing all these great things- not through God’s power but through man’s pride.
That’s why Jesus said “away from me you evil doers.”
Someone could give millions of dollars to solve major social problems and Jesus will call that person an evil doer.
•Pride is the worship of self
•Pride is the cause of every sin
How do you over come pride?
“Therefore, O king, be pleased to accept my advice: Renounce your sins by doing what is right, and your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that your prosperity will continue.” (v27)
David’s advice
1.Renounce it
Renounce your sins…
To renounce means to forsake, to abandon, to leave behind, to desert…
It is a lot more than just admitting our pride…
How do you renounce pride?
2.Replace it
“Renounce your sins by doing what is right.”
What do you replace pride with?
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.
You replace pride with humility
Whenever you walk in humility you are renouncing pride.
You walk in humility when you are being kind to the oppressed.
Pride oppresses people – humility impresses people.
At first Nebuchadnezzar does not renounce his pride. Nebuchadnezzar does not replace his pride.
Instead of renounce and replace he relapses
He Relapses
(V29-30) Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty.”
Here is how bad it got for Nebuchadnezzar.
All because of pride!
“The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, “This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven from the people and will live with the wide animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times (years) will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes. Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird.” (v31-33)
•He lost everything because of pride
•He lost his sanity; he lost his dignity
•He became unrecognizable
This is what pride does
God was not kidding when He said
Proverbs 11:2 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace.”
Repent
“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…
“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. (v34, 37)
Conclusion
There are 2 types of people living in the world today
Those that are living by man’s pride and there are those that are living by God’s power.
Those who live by man’s pride are those who boast in all the things they do well.
Those who live by God’s power are those who boast in all the things God does well.
One has eternal life. One does not!
What will you say to God when you die?
I’m a good person or I’m a sinner saved by grace
Prayer.
Help us to renounce pride.
Help us to replace pride.
Thank you that you oppose the proud but give grace to the humble.
