DAN. 5:25-28 “WEIGHED AND FOUND WANTING”
A) This is a solemn, serious message to come from God to anyone!
* Suppose tonight upon the wall of your bedroom, the finger of God inscribed these same words
of death, doom and judgment ... Are you prepared? * If God said .......
* “Tonight your days are past on earth ... Tonight you must die.” * Are you ready to die?
* “Oh, you don’t scare me Preacher ... I don’t think folks ought to be scared into religion.”
* I’m not surprised ... Maybe you can’t be scared ... Some folks don’t have enough sense to get
scared! * Psa. 111:10 and Prov.9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
B) A man who does not fear God is not wise!
* Anyone with ordinary, common horse sense, who thinks about God and judgment and eternity
and his sins will become disturbed if he is not prepared for it!
* Fear may not be the highest motive for coming to Christ, but it’s a good sensible motive!
* Heb. 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear,
prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became
heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”
* It’s better to get scared now and repent than to face God at the judgment in your sins!
* Heb. 10:31 “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
C) If this would come to pass today, and you died, the first thing I want to ask is this .......
* What would you weigh? * Notice this ... Belshazzar wasn’t weighed in the balances of his
reputation ... He wasn’t weighed in the balances of his friends .......
* He wasn’t even weighed in the balances of the gods of Babylon .......
* He was weighed in the balances of God ... The just, righteous God of heaven .......
* And he wasn’t big enough to balance the scales!
D) Now, let me give you some idea of a scale! * Two suspended pans on opposite ends of a bar.
* In one pan you place a weight ... In the other you place that which is being weighed.
* When the two are equal, the bar is perfectly level ... It is balanced!
* If either is heavier than the other, then one is found wanting!
* If we could reach up to heaven and pull down a set of God’s balances, I’d like for you to step up
on one side of the scales!
E) “Well, Preacher, I do the best I can, I’m about as good as the next fellow, I’d weigh out right
well, I think!” * Wonderful, you’re just the one I’m looking for!
* You’ll need to be good, because these balances are accurate, they never lie for anybody!
* There’s no mercy with balances! * That’s why when you see a statue of justice, she is always
holding a pair of balances in her hands! * Balances are a symbol of justice!
* “All I ask is that I be treated right ... Just give me what I deserve.”
* Don’t say that ... What you need is mercy ... If God gives you what you deserve, it’ll be in the
lake of fire ... Cry out for mercy ... You need it ... But balances give justice!
F) So you climb into your place in the balances! * What shall we put on the other side?
* Well, what does God weigh a man by? * His own perfect standard of holiness, righteousness
and perfection! * If you balance the scales, you’ll have to be just as good as God .......
* You’ll have to be just as holy as God and just as righteous as God!
* There can be no flaws, no sins, no mistakes, no weaknesses!
* You must be equal with God in perfection!
G) A good summary of God’s required standard is His law ... The law is perfect!
* It is an expression of God’s very nature! * But we don’t have time to deal with all the law, so
we’ll just use the 10 commandments! * In a nutshell, they are the basic laws!
* So in the balances go the 10 commandments!
* “Oh, I live by them,” you say, “I follow those faithfully.”
* Good! Then this weighing ought not upset you ... So hang on ....... * Exo. 20:1-17
(1) THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME! * Jesus puts it this way .......
* Matt. 22:37-38 “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.”
A) Now, let me ask you: Have you always loved God with every heartbeat, with every breath,
with all your strength, and with all your mind?
* Has there ever been one second in your life that you didn’t love God above all else?
* Then you have broken the greatest commandment of God! * And if there is any degree of sin, I
suppose breaking the greatest law must be the greatest sin, right?
* If one sin is bigger than another, then the bigger the law, the bigger the sin of breaking it!
* You’ve already broken the first and greatest commandment!
* You’re too light ... You don’t weigh enough! * The second is closely related to the first .......
(2) THOU SHALT NOT MAKE UNTO THEE ANY GRAVEN IMAGE!
* “I haven’t broken that one, I’m no heathen, I don’t have any little idols sitting around my house!”
* You’d be surprised how many you would find if you could recognize them!
* They have changed their names and disguised themselves, but they’re the same gods men have
always worshipped! * Let me show you .......
A) The Greeks worshipped a god whose name was “Bacchus.”
* You wouldn’t recognize him if he came to your door! * He was the Greek god of wine!
* You’d recognize him as Budweiser, Miller, Coors, Jack Daniels, Rum, Brandy, Vodka, Boot-leg,
Stump-hole, White Lightening, etc. * “Whew, you didn’t name mine.” * Yea I did ... “etc.”
* Multitudes bow down themselves to Bacchus and give themselves, mind, soul and body, and
don’t even know his name!
B) Greeks had another god named “Plutus.” * This is the origin of our word “plutocrat.”
* Have you ever met a plutocrat? * Maybe you wouldn’t know it if you did!
* Plutus was the Greek god of riches and wealth! * You meet him in the form of a dollar bill!
* Many poor souls give themselves into the service of Plutus!
* They spend their lives worshipping riches and wealth! * 1 Tim. 6:10 “For the love of money is
the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced
themselves through with many sorrows.”
C) Romans loved a goddess named “Venus.” * She was a goddess of beauty, sex, and passion!
* Today, she is some sexy, movie queen! * You’ll find her nude pictures hanging on the walls of
a thousand dormitory rooms!
* Young men bow down themselves to this goddess of lust and sex ... They worship her!
* Men haven’t changed ... Their gods haven’t changed ... They’ve changed their names maybe, but
they’re still the same!
D) Every man has a god ... It may be pleasure, possessions, power, pride, passion .......
* It may be a house, job, family, car, ambitions, plans, desires, dreams .......
* One thing is for sure ... If God of heaven is not sitting on the throne of your heart, some god is!
* Whatever his name, you love him, you serve him, you worship him, he’s your idol!
* So you’ve broken the second one ... You’re too light ... You don’t balance the scales!
(3) THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN!
* Folks take this so lightly! * I talked to a man about his soul one day and told him that he needed
to give his heart to Christ and be saved from his sin.
* He said, “Preacher, you sound like I’m the biggest crook in Spartanburg. I’m not so bad. I don’t
do anything wrong. I live a clean life, work hard, pay my bills, don’t have any bad habits.”
* “Oh, every now and then I may get mad and fly off the handle and cuss a little bit.”
A) I said, “Friend, do you know what you might as well have said?”
* You might have well as said, “Preacher, I live a clean life, I pay my bills, I don’t have any bad
habits. Oh, every now and then I fly off the handle and go out and shoot a few folks.”
* “Not often, that is, I just kill a man every once in a while, when I feel like it.”
* The same law that says, “Thou shalt not kill,” also says, “Thou shalt not take the name of the
Lord thy God in vain.” * And they’re only six verses apart!
B) In the day that law was written, men were executed for blaspheming God!
* They stoned to death those who used God’s name in vain!
* That practice would thin out our population today, wouldn’t it? * It’s a serious matter with God!
* You may excuse cursing as a bad habit, or you may overlook it and say, “Oh, I didn’t mean
anything by it.” * It’s a transgression against God’s law!
* It leaves the soul guilty, too light, and found wanting in the balances!
(4) THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT! * I don’t have time to deal with each commandment
separately! * If so, I would expect you would be guilty of breaking them too!
A) “No I haven’t,” you object, “I may be bad, but I’m not that bad!”
* One says, “Thou shalt not kill ... I’ve never killed anybody ... I’m not guilty!”
* Maybe you don’t understand ... In the first place, you don’t have to blow a man’s brains out with
a revolver to kill him! * There’s more than one way to kill a man! (An old gossiping tongue)!
* You can destroy his reputation, kill his influence and render his life fruitless!
* Sam Jones said he once knew a lady in Georgia who had a tongue long enough to sit in the living
room and lick a skillet clean in the kitchen!
* With that kind of tongue she could wrap it around a man’s neck and hang him!
B) A wife may die prematurely of a broken heart because of the unfaithfulness of a sorry
husband! * You can kill your wife with neglect, indifference, and another woman!
* Mothers have went to an early grave because of her wayward, wicked, rebellious son!
* There are so many ways to kill a man!
* In the second place, the Bible says in 1 John 3:15 “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer:
and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”
* Hatred in the heart makes a man a murderer inside!
* Now you try to convince God that you’ve always loved everybody, and He’ll add lying to your
list of sins!
* You’re too light ... The law is heavy ... The balances don’t balance ... You’re found wanting!
(5) THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT! * “But not all of them,” you argue, “One of them says:”
* “Thou shalt not commit adultery, and I’ve been faithful to my wife, I’m no adulterer!”
A) You may not clearly understand this matter ... Jesus explained this law in this manner .......
* Matt. 5:28 “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath
committed adultery with her already in his heart.” * Jesus said that lust is adultery in the heart!
* God knows every thought that goes through your brain!
* He knows every imagination of your wicked heart!
* If your wife knew it, she’d divorce you ... God knows it!
B) Men usually get the blame for looking and lusting ... Some of it belongs to the woman!
* The same fallen nature and sinful heart that drives a man to lust, drives a woman to desire to be
lusted after!
* What makes a woman strut around in public places with short, short, short shorts on, and them
turned up four times?
* Any woman who parades her immodestly clad body before men, with the desire to be lusted for,
has a harlot’s heart! * How do you stack up? * How much do you weigh? * Found wanting!
C) Let’s cover some old ground ... Matt.22:37-40 ... “Jesus said that on these 2 commandments
hang all the law and the prophets!”
* First, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,” * Second, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
* Do you think as much of your neighbors as you do yourself?
* Does his life and happiness and needs mean as much to you as yours?
* Can you see how far short you come ... How light you are?
D) You can’t balance the scales ... I knew that all along!
* I spent all this time trying to convince you! * The Bible already told me that you were too light!
* Rom. 3:23 “For all have sinned ...” * That includes you ... That includes me!
(6) WHO CAN BALANCE THE SCALES? * What can a man do? * Is it hopeless?
* “I’ll join a church and be religious.” * No good! * All the rituals and ceremonies placed with
you in the balances will not measure up to the standard of justice!
A) “I’ll reform, I’ll stop sinning!” * What about those sins already on the books?
* Justice demands back payment! * Your past sins are held against you!
* Do good works? * Isa. 64:6 “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”
* What then can I do to balance the scales? * Let me trade places with you for a moment!
* No need in me claiming I’ve never sinned! * I’m guilty ... I’ve broken the law ... I’ve fallen short
of the glory of God ... I’m too light and I’m found wanting!
B) There’s only one person who never broke the law ... Jesus! * He kept it to the letter!
* The law can’t condemn Him ... God can’t condemn Him ... Man could find no fault in Him!
* Justice could find no wrong in Him! * Jesus is just as God, holy as God, righteous as God .......
* Jesus is equal with God and He met all the demands of God!
* Here’s the Scripture ... Matt. 10:32 “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will
I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”
C) I have taken my stand for Him in the world! * On that day when I’m weighed at the judgment
bar of God, He’ll climb into my end of the balances!
* And with Jesus standing with me, those balances will hang level!
* Holding to the hand of Jesus, I’ll march through the gates of pearl into a city of gold to live in
heaven and never die!
* If He stands with you in the balances, you’ll go to heaven! * If you stand alone, you’ll be lost
forever! * You’re not heavy enough to balance the scales ... Oh, how you’ll need Jesus!
(7) LET’S GO BACK AND FINISH THE STORY! * Belshazzar listened to the interpretation!
* Trembling with fear, he commanded the gifts to be given to Daniel.
A) Suddenly, a cry was heard in the streets! * The doors to the beautiful banquet hall burst open!
* Enemy soldiers rushed in and filled the hall! * The Medes and Persians were upon them.
* While Belshazzar was throwing his wild party, the Medes and Persians blocked the river that ran
under the wall and through the city, changed its course, dropped into that empty river bed .......
* And marched under the wall into the city! * Now the city was aflame ... Fire was everywhere!
* Those magnificent buildings were crumbling in desolation and ruin, mighty Babylon was falling!
B) In the banquet hall, the drunken lords and ladies were slaughtered!
* Their screams pierced the air ... Their red blood ran like water over the marble floor!
* Lifeless bodies slumped over the banquet table ... Belshazzar tried to escape!
* He ducked quickly into a secret chamber, and barred the door!
* In those days, wars were like chess games ... The king must be captured!
* Victory was never certain until they got the king!
C) The search for Belshazzar was on! * I can hear a soldier’s voice echo across the hall .......
* “Hey men, a barred door, the king’s chamber.” * A flood of Medes and Persians with battering
rams storm the door ... The door gives way with a loud crash!
* Standing in the dim, flickering light is Belshazzar ... His face is as pale as a ghost!
* He creeps backward against the wall, stalked by the captain of the Median army .......
* A sword flashes from the sheath ... Its edge is as sharp as a razor!
D) A quick twist that slits the throat, cutting the jugular vein ... Belshazzar gasps for breath!
* His body slumps ... Another thrust through the chest pours his blood upon the floor.
* Two soldiers drop upon his dying body, and cuts off his head!
* With the bloody, dripping head sticking high on a spear, they run through the streets of Babylon
shouting the victory! * The Bible simply says in v.30-31 ....... “In that night was Belshazzar ...”
CLOSE
A) I have one final question to ask you ... If God sent the angel of death with a sword of fire to
thrust you through today .......
* If He backed you into a corner, pinned your body to the wall, and cut the cords of your life,
leaving your body a corpse, and letting your soul loose for its flight to another world .......
* Would Jesus stand in God’s balances in your place?
* If you want Him to stand for you, you must stand for Him!
B) Will you accept Him, trust Him and own Him now?
* Then He will claim you as His own before the Father and all His holy angels in heaven!
