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Sunday, March 7, 2010

Daniel 2:44 - a free sermon outline on Daniel 2:44

Have You Ever Had A Weird Dream That You Couldn't Forget?

Dan. 2:44: KW—03.07.10

Intro:

A.   IJHave you ever had a really weird dream and it woke you up at night, or it at least "stuck with you" for much of the next day? Ex: I occasionally have this recurrent dream that I get up into the pulpit and I'm still in my pajamas—or worse, and I don't have a Bible nor do I have anything prepared to say.

B.    IJKing Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that left him deeply troubled. v. 1

1. IJHe demanded that his wise men not only interpret the dream, but that they tell him what he had dreamed.

a.     His wise men said that they would interpret it AFTER he had revealed it to them.

b.    The king knew they could fabricate an interpretation, so he threatened to go on a sort of "wise men killing- spree" if nobody revealed his dream first. vv. 5-13

2. IJDaniel heard about the situation and asked for an opportunity to meet with Nebuchadnezzar. cf., vv. 14ff

a.    Daniel told the king that the God of heaven could make known the dream. vv. 27-30

b.      Daniel did two things:

1)    He revealed the dream.

2)    He interpreted the dream.

C. Of particular interest is a kingdom mentioned in v. 44.

1.    Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, saw 5 kingdoms in his dream; one was more significant than the other four.

2.    Today we want to study this dream and how it applies to us.

I. IJThe dream REVEALED vv. 31-35

A. IJNebuchadnezzar saw a great man-made image/statue composed of different metals and clay.

1. IJ The image described:

a.    Its head was of fine gold.

b.    Its chest and arms were of silver.

c.     Its belly and thighs were of bronze.

d.    Its legs were of iron and its feet were of iron and clay.

2. IJWhile the king gazed at the image, he saw a stone that had been cut out of a mountain without hands strike the image on its feet.

a.    The image was destroyed, never to exist again.

b.    The stone which had struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

B. Application: God could look into a man's mind and not only see, but reveal the contents thereof.

1.    "Daniel answered and said: 'Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His... He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him." vv. 20, 22

2.    Many folks mistakenly think that since people can't see what they're doing or thinking, no one else can either.

II. IJThe dream INTERPRETED vv. 36-45

A. IJDaniel explained the components of the dream. (Note that metals go from most precious to least precious).

1.     The head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian Empire. vv. 37-38

2.     The chest and arms of silver represented the next world kingdom, the Medo-Persian Empire (539-330 BC). v. 39a (Darius the Mede at age 62 took control of the Babylonian/Chaldean kingdom following the death of King Belshazzar). cf., 5:30-31

3. The belly and thighs of bronze represented yet the next world kingdom, the Grecian Empire (330-63 BC). v. 39b


4. IJThe legs of iron and the feet of iron and clay represented the Roman Empire.

a.    IJThis kingdom was strong as iron in conquering, crushing, and breaking in pieces and bringing conquered people under its control.

b.    IJBut this kingdom had a fatal weakness—its feet were of iron and clay (i.e., Rome's division was not geographical, but social and cultural. As iron and clay cannot be fused together, so Rome could not amalgamate its conquered people. It tried to untie these conquered people through Emperor worship, but failed). vv. 40-43

1)      IJIn the days of the Roman kings, God would set up His own kingdom. v. 44 (This kingdom would be the greatest of them all)!

2)      The stone cut from the mountain would strike these kingdoms so that they no longer existed. v. 45

B. Application: We would like to think that we are in control of the affairs of this world.

1.     This isn't so. "And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding." v. 21

2.     God is not tied to a ballot box in order to accomplish His will!

III. IJThe dream FULFILLED vv. 44-45

A. IJChrist came in the days of the Roman Empire and preached about an impending kingdom. "Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel." Mk. 1:14-15

1.       Ex: If I tell you that a big snow storm is "at hand," what does that suggest to you? (The kingdom of God was near)!

2.       IJIt existed in promise, in prophecy (i.e., Dan. 2:44), in preparation—via the preaching of John the Baptist, and finally in perfection. "And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven..." Mt. 16:18-19a

a.     Note: The church hadn't been established yet. "And He said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present (come) with power.'" Mk. 9:1

b.    Note: Church and kingdom were used interchangeably. (Peter was given "keys." What do you do with keys)?

3. IJThis kingdom wasn't physical in nature like the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Grecian, and Roman. "Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." Jn. 18:36

a.     Note: This kingdom came about "without hands" (cf. Dan. 2:34, 45) or human aid.

b.    IJ "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Eph. 6:12

4. IJPaul later would speak of the kingdom in the present tense. "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." Col. 1:13

a.     Review:

. Daniel prophesied about an eternal, spiritual kingdom that would come about during the time of the Roman Empire.

. Jesus said the kingdom of God was at hand and promised to build it.

. Paul, while a prisoner in Rome, wrote in AD 62 that the Colossian brethren were in the kingdom.

b.    When exactly did this kingdom begin?


1.     ~Phrase: "...Till they see the kingdom of God present/come with power." Mk. 9:1

2.     ~Passage: "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." Lk. 24:49

3.     ~Passage: "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but for the Promise of the Father, 'which,' He said, 'you have heard from Me.'" Acts 1:4; cf. Isa. 2:3-4

4.     ~Passage: "Now there was dwelling in Jerusalem Jews..." Acts 2:5

5. ~Passage: "And suddenly there came a sound form heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit game them utterance." Acts 2:2-4

a.    Jesus said some of those listening to Him in Mark 9 would still be living when the kingdom came with power.

b.    The apostles were to wait in Jerusalem for promised power from on high.

c.     The apostles were in Jerusalem in Acts 2 and received that miraculous power and began to speak in languages which they had never studied.

d.      ~These men told their listeners how to become members of the kingdom. Acts 2:38, 40 (Thus, Nebuchadnezzar's dream was fulfilled in Acts 2 some 600+ years later)!

Concl:

A.   ~I don't like that embarrassing dream.

B.    I can think of something far more embarrassing though.

1.       That would be to hear about the church kingdom and how to become a member of it, but not decide to become a part of it.

2.       Come Judgment Day it will be very embarrassing to learn that you had an opportunity to be saved, but spurned it, and will therefore be lost for eternity.

C. What if Jesus came to claim His kingdom right now? Would you be ready?

 

--Mike Benson

See Hugo McCord, "Five Kingdoms," Words of Truth, June 2001, 6-7

 

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