Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

1 King Nebuchadnezzar to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied to you! 2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me. 3 How great are his signs,how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.

• Point One : Complacency kills friends king David found this out as well [Cf. 2 Samuel 11.1-4] and king Nebuchadnezzar is going to find our first hand as well. Our key here is that we must be on constant guard of our walk with the LORD. (V1-3)

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

4 I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. 5 I saw a dream that made me afraid. As I lay in bed the fancies and the visions of my head alarmed me. 6 So I made a decree that all the wise men of Babylon should be brought before me, that they might make known to me the interpretation of the dream. 7 Then the magicians, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the astrologers came in, and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its interpretation. 8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation. 10 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. 11 The tree grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. 12 Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.

• Point Two: We cannot expect non believers to speak biblical truth. We need the Word of God if truth is what we seek. [V4-7]
• Point Three: friends do we view our position/vocation as a calling from God? Are you furthering His kingdom or yours? [V8-9]
• Point Four: God's will accomplish what He wills because He knows the end from the beginning! [V10-12]

13 “I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven. 14 He proclaimed aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches, strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the beasts flee from under it and the birds from its branches. 15 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. 16 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. 17 The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.’ 18 This dream I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw. And you, O Belteshazzar, tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.”

• Point Five: regardless of your current situation, the trial, the tribulation God has a plan for you. Look to Him when the trial comes and be humble. [V13-17] 
• Point Six: are you brave enough for a friend like this in your life? Are you brave enough to be a friend like this? [V18] 

Christian as we go through this life we will have times and seasons where God can and will use our circumstances to humble us for His purposes. It is up to us how long the trials take because of our pride. Nebuchadnezzar was prideful and God was using this trial to remind him that only He is in control. 

There is a greater urgency to discern truth from lies. We are told churches are unsafe for people to assemble but casinos and big box stores are safe. We grow weary hearing all this. But the enemy doesn’t let up on his attacks. So we must remain vigilant, diligent and prepared. John wrote this epistle to declare the truth and fight against lies that hurt people and the lies turning them away from the truth.
1 John 2:18. The last hour describes a kind of time not a duration. Paul describes this time in 1 Timothy 4:1-3. People leave the faith and believe deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. Remember antichrist can be defined as “against Christ” and “instead of Christ.”
Verse 2:19. ”They” are the ones who oppose Christ. “Us” are those who believed Christ and stayed with Him. Those who oppose Christ adhere to doctrines not taught in God’s word.
Fast forward to today. We say some (not all) who left the church and not returned because of Covi have believed a lie. Yes. The virus is real, it is contagious, and some have died from it but the viruses in past years did not create this response by government officials. Our enemy is behind this.
Verse 2:20. Christians have the Holy Spirit residing within them and those who oppose Christ do not. What does it mean, “and you know all things?” This refers to the truth. The Holy Spirit is our teacher teaching us all things (see John 14:26).
Verse 2:21. What are some basic truths? God exists. He created all things. Adam and Eve sinned plunging all mankind into darkness. Their punishment was death - first immediate spiritual death then eventually physical death. All of us inherited the sin nature from Adam and Eve. God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins that we may have eternal life with Him. There is no lie in these truths. The false teachers claimed salvation can be achieved through knowledge or through a special anointing. This is a lie. This is what the cults do. They deny Jesus. The seeker friendly churches deny sin exists and that they can improve themselves through self effort. They fail to realize everyone is spiritually dead in their sins. Dead means not alive.
Verse 2:22-23. Satan is the father of lies. His followers speak lies. To deny Jesus is the Christ is to refuse to recognize or acknowledge Him. Jesus said, “Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven (Matt 10:32-33). They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. (Titus 1:16). I think of those who have left the church because of this virus with no intent to return. This is serious.
It’s easy to fall away. We must remain diligent to stay close to Him.
Verse 2:24. Let the truth abide in you . This is the truth we have been told since when the world was created and the truth we’ve learned since we became born again, our new beginnings. Abide means to dwell, remain, last. If we remain in, dwell in the truth we will also remain in and dwell in the Son and Father.

This abiding in must become a daily practice. Why? Because:
1. we forget.
2. our circumstances overwhelm us and we lose focus.
3. we are attacked by the enemy.

Verse 2:25. This is a great promise. Without God’s promise of eternal life, we all face eternal death i.e. separation from God for all eternity. Thank You Jesus for dying for me! Make it a practice to thank Him every day.
Verse 2:26. John didn’t want us to be deceived. Jesus did not want us to be deceived and says so in Matthew 24:4 as he begins teaching the disciples about the end of the age.
Verse 2:27. The key to discerning truth from error is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our teacher. The Gnostics believed there was a special revelation for the enlightened, an elite group. This is a lie. All believers have the Holy Spirit to teach them. The Bible is given to everyone to read and learn.
Are believers allowing the Holy Spirit to teach them? Are they listening for His still small voice? Are the Covi church abstainers really listening for God’s direction on this and other issues? Just a question to ponder.
Verse 2:28. The word abide appears six times in verses 24-28. Abiding is essential to discerning truth from error; Abide in Him.

The Lord is coming back. Today, we are one day closer. Our confidence (trust) will be in Him when He appears. Our sins are forgiven; we have been made new creations in Christ so we will not be ashamed at His coming. He has done it all. What are we to do? Believe Him. Trust Him. Repent. Follow His leading; do the work He prepared for us to do. Remember it’s the narrow road. It’s difficult but the reward is great.

In this portion of scripture we read of the bold faith of Daniel's three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Throughout this chapter we read of Nebuchadnezzar's desire to enforce a universal form of idolatry.  From which arises the three Hebrew men to to make a decision to bow down the idol or remain faithful to Yahweh.

King Nebuchadnezzar gives a decree to worship the image of gold set up on the plain of Dura. His court officials use it as a trap in an attempt to discredit the loyalty to the Hebrew men to the king. However nothing could be further from the truth these three men were more dedicated to their king - the King of the universe! 

We read in this chapter the follies of Nebuchadnezzar’s temper and his impulsive behavior. His temper is a reminder to us that call upon the name of Christ that we must be led by the Spirit and not our emotions. Nebuchadnezzar's carelessness cost him the lives of the very people who were loyal to him. The men under his care lose their lives because of his lack of concern and his temper. 

The Hebrew men are a testament of faithfulness in the face of opposition in a world hostile to God. We can see that they were firm in their belief in Yahweh and that it was of concern to what a world leader said or could do to them. By living their faith out before the people in Nebuchadnezzar’s court it gave testimony to the Lord and people’s lives were implicated by it.

God is faithful friends even when we falter He remains faithful (Cf 2 Timothy 2.11-13). Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego remained true the one true God let their faithfulness give you the strength to do the same. 

Closing points:

• Be careful of flattery - people like that always have ultermotives. V9
• Be careful of your temper. Nebuchadnezzar had anger issues we must deal with ours. V11
• When the trails come will we hold fast to our faith. V17
• Rash actions lead to costly outcomes. V22
• No matter how hot the furnace gets, Yeshua will be there to help us out. V25
• Our decision to step out in faith will cause others to see the glory of God. V26-27
• When others see God’s glory in our lives it brings them to the same place to see God at work in our lives. V28
• The Hebrew boys were promoted in Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom and our faithfulness to Yehovah brings us to greater responsibilities in His kingdom. V30
  

-Faith Over Fear- 

First John was written to warn us and to instruct us of false teachers. We are to discern truth from error.

1 John 2:15-16 The world spoken of here in verse 15 is a world that does not want to include God.To love this world is to be worldly. Loving the world means not having the Father’s love. Why? Because the focus is inward toward ourselves. We become selfish. What does the love of this world bring us? Temporal gains not doubt. But will we give up our souls for what is temporary? Will we enjoy the passing pleasures of sin and give up what God wants for our lives? What does love of the Father bring us? It brings Jesus, eternal life and knowledge of God. The Father knows our needs because He created us.When we go outside His will to meet these needs it becomes sin. This is where the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life come in.
Verse 2:17 This is the remedy for worldliness. Repent. Recognize this world and the things of it will pass away. Do God’s will.
Verse 2:18 The increase of false teachers is what describes the phrase “last hour.” It’s not a duration of time, It’s important to know what we believe and why we believe it. Discern the truth from error. How did John know Antichrist was coming? From Daniel 9:26. The “prince who is to come” is one title among over thirty given to the Antichrist.
Verse 2:19 There are two camps here: They (them) and us. The “they” camp, who are they? John tells us in chapters one ( verses 6, 8, 10)and two (verses 4, 9, 11). They left the church. The “us” camp. Who are the true members of the church? Those who have been cleansed of their sins by Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross. In this COVID 19 environment, we seem to be in two camps: Those who have returned to church and fellowship and those who have not returned. I think those who have not returned can be broken into two camps too. The “They” camp and the “Us” camp. “Us camp” These people are genuinely born-again, but they are fearful, doubting, angry, etc. Some are weak in the faith or have not matured much. What is our response? First pray for them. Help them to grow in faith and trust in the Lord. Remember we were young in the faith. We have struggle areas too. Another group of genuine believers are those who are caring for high risk family members. They are concerned for their health and do not want to carry the virus to them. Our response? Pray for them. Encourage them. We say God is cleansing His church, separating the wheat from the chaff. I don’t think these people are chaff. They are brothers and sisters who need our prayers and encouragement.
“Them camp” These people attended church services before COVID 19. Their hearts were elsewhere when they attended. They know Scripture verses but they have not applied them for themselves. They may not be saved. Our response? Pray for them.They need Jesus too.
Verse 2:20-21 Who is the Holy One? It is God. When Isaiah beheld the Lord, the angels cried out “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3). To be holy is to be set apart. Anointing means to be set apart for a purpose or for a special reason (see 1 Samuel 16:13, John 9:6, ). God has anointed us 2 Corinth 1:21. We are given the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us.
What does it mean that “you know all things?” We have been given God’s word. We have fellowship with the Father and Jesus His Son who know all things. We know the essential truth that Jesus became a man to die for the sins of mankind. Unbelievers know this truth but do not accept it.
Verse 2:22, 23 If a person denies Jesus he is a liar. The most important question in our lives is, “Who is Jesus to me?” Denying Jesus is to deny the Father.

What are the lessons today?
1. We are living in the last hour. We have been living in it since John’s day.
2. It is important to know the truth, believe it and apply it to our lives. Learn to discern truth from error.
3. There are true believers who have not returned to fellowship for a variety of reasons. They are not chaff and we shouldn’t treat them as unbelievers.
4. Pray for our church leaders, our brothers and sisters in Christ, for our government leaders, for discernment on how we should respond.
5. Remember Jesus is the central issue here and has always been central. They hated Him before they hated us. We represent the King of kings and the Lord of lords.

You can know God personally.

Verse 3

We can know God by obeying His commandments. John is not talking about salvation here. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

God’s Word contains His commandments. In His Word God expresses Himself. We learn His will. We learn His likes and dislikes and His desires. We know God by His Spirit, His Word, and by obeying His commandments.

Verse 4

We as believers can lie to ourselves and practice sinful lifestyles. We rationalize saying, “I said the sinners prayer. I attend church services. I’m good with God now” But the inner life of anger, resentment, and an unforgiving spirit continues. The answer is to repent and seek God’s forgiveness and healing. Sometimes this is a process and not a one time action.

The opposite is true. If we keep His commandments, place the truth in us then we will know Him. What are His commandments? In Matthew 22:36-40 tells us there are two: Love God and love others. How do we place the truth in us? First be born again. Jesus sends the Spirit of Truth to dwell within us when we become born again.

Second, read and study the Word of God.

Verse 5

The love of God is introduced here. There is a link between the love of God and knowing God. Keeping God’s commandments results in knowing God, experiencing His love, and being in Him. Moses is an example of this. In Psalm 103:7, we read Moses knew God and the children of Israel knew about God.

In Exodus 33 we read Moses obeyed God and he desired to know God. On the other hand the children of Israel kept their distance from God. We experience the love of God as we embrace what God has done for us at the cross; the forgiveness of our sins.

We as believers are in Christ. This means we are identified with Him. He is the vine and we are the branches. As we abide (remain) in the vine we will produce the fruit of righteousness.

Verse 6

To abide in Jesus is to remain with Him. He is our life. How did Jesus walk? In what ways can our manner of life be like His?
1. Jesus spent time with the Father by praying often (Mark 6:46, Luke 6:12).

2. Jesus taught and He shared the gospel (Mark 1:14-15).

3. Jesus resisted the devil (Matt 4:1-11).

4. Jesus did those things which pleased the Father (John 8:29).

Verse 7

What was the old commandment? There were two. The first is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18).

Verse 8

What made these two commandments new was Jesus combining them and saying the whole law was fulfilled by them.

Verses 9-11

There is a link between obeying God (i.e. walking in the light) and loving our brothers in Christ. Loving your brother is a demonstration that you know God and obey Him. Sadly there are brothers and sisters in Christ who harbor anger and resentments towards their brothers or sisters. May I suggest you listen to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to heal and repair the relationship. There are other instances where reconciliation has taken place but there is still a separation of some kind. It’s difficult to be around this person. Pray for them and for your continued healing. Pray for wisdom to know what to do or not to do next. Pray for endurance especially if this person is in your daily life.

In conclusion, God has given us His Holy Spirit and His Word so that we may know Him. Our part is to diligently pursue God by praying, reading and studying His Word. Be open to the Spirit’s leading.

We can test our knowledge of Him by our obedience to Him. Do you really believe He loves you? Do you believe He wants what is best for you? Do you trust Him? If so, then obey Him.

In our passage we find out who is really in control over the affairs of mankind namely our Lord God.

King Nebuchadnezzar was given a dream that troubled his spirit Dan 2.1 and sought understanding from the learned men of the court and could not find any solace from them. Friends whenever we are troubled we must turn to a living God if we want understanding. Daniel and his companions pray and seek understanding from the Lord. A great reminder for us if we seek answers let us like Daniel and his companions turn to our Father.

Here is where we pick up our study - Daniel after giving glory to the Lord for His answered prayer brings the interpretation to the king. In verses 31-34 Daniel relays the Lord's dream and gives us understanding of the four major empires that this world has and will be privileged to until the Messianic Kingdom of our God. He starts with the kingdom of Babylon which he was to be a part of will the children of Israel be held until the captivity is completed according to the word of God. Daniel gives the description of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom and lays out the next three kingdoms that will follow his.

Daniel also makes mention of “a stone was cut out by no human hand” v34 which is the second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Matthew 21.44 Jesus tells us “ And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” When Christ returns to this planet He will abolish all forms of earthly government and set up His Father’s kingdom and what a  beautiful time that will be.

We can look back on history and see that Daniel’s description of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is true - every part and every kingdom just as the Lord made known. Nebuchadnezzar saw an idol because he was an idol worshipper and God spoke to him in a way he would understand. Friends God desires to speak to us today the same way he spoke to Nebuchadnezzar and He will speak to you in ways that will get your attention, so listen when He speaks to you. 

In Daniel 2.35 we read that, “the stone…became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” again this is the establishment of the millennial kingdom that we be set up at the return of Christ. We know this is a prophetic description yet to come since the church has yet to fill the whole earth. Pastor David Guzik wrote in his commentary of Daniel 2 “In those days - the last days, This described the fulfillment of this prophecy in the future. The stone cut without hands shatters a confederation of kings, represented by the feet of the image, and then God’s Kingdom will dominate the earth.”<https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Dan/Dan-2.cfm?a=852044>

In verses 36-43 Daniel breaks down the dream and gives insight to the image Nebuchadnezzar saw.

Vs37&38 is the head of gold and the Babylonian Empire which lasted 66 years.

 Vs39 Another kingdom inferior to you (silver/Medo-Persian 208 years) shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze (Graeco-Macedonia 185 years), which shall rule over all the earth. So we have two empires in one verse here.

Vs40-43 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. This was the  Roman Empire and it stood for more than 500 years. Four verses are dedicated to the “kingdom of iron” and it had two legs and ten toes which will be the last kingdom to exist before Christ sets up the kingdom of our Lord at His return.

In verses 44And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.

All these kingdoms will come and they will pass away but the kingdom of our God is without end a kingdom that we are apart of now and we will be a part of the future eternal kingdom. Friends there is so much more in this passage of scripture that we could spend weeks on. One thing that stood out to me as I made preparations to share it with our Tuesday morning group was this - there is a “rock cut not with human hands” this Rock cut not be human hands is our Lord Jesus and it is He that should keep our attention on. It is He that we should look for in any bible study. He is the Living Word and He can be found on every page of the bible if you look for Him. Let me close with this point again from Matthew 21 we will either fall upon the rock and be broken or He will fall upon us and grind us to dust. Choose wisely brothers and sisters and like Daniel proclaims here in verse 45 “the dream is certain and its interpretation is sure”.   

Lord let us fall on you and be broken because You love us enough to take us as we are and put us back together for your glorious work here on earth. Amen

Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1-2 to pray for them because they need salvation. At the time of his writing, Nero was in charge. If you know anything about Nero, he was a cruel and vicious blasphemer who hated Christians and was a persecutor of the faith. Caesar's image may have been on the coin, but God's image is on man because man was made in the image of the Trinity (Genesis 1:26-27). Sin has ruined that image, but through Jesus Christ it can be restored (Ephesians 4:24). Ultimately, all things belong to God~including the realm in which Caesar or any other earthly ruler exercises authority.
Believers must honor and obey God, and the best citizen honors his country because he worships God. ~Irene~

"If God gives you a few more years, remember it is not yours. Your time must honor God, your home must honor God, your activity must honor God, and everything you do must honor God."~ A. W. Tozer

This salvation (v.10) What salvation? the one that is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away. Reserved in heaven for you. This salvation is our bodily one. Yes we are now saved, and cannot lose this salvation. But this one is referring to our new glorified bodies, the ones will spend eternity in! In:

1 Corinthians 15:51-55

This is what we are waiting for, this is part of our treasure in heaven that’s referred to in (Matt.6:21;19:21;Luke12:34;18:22).

         In v.11 The Old Testament prophets searched out and yet couldn’t understand how The Christ could be both a suffering servant and the King of Glory. In Daniel 2:44 and Isaiah 53:1-12

It’s hard to imagine what they thought of these visions and words of knowledge they received from God. Seeing the King of Kings with His everlasting reign. And, yet telling about His sufferings and death. If He is to reign forever? How could He suffer and die? They also couldn’t see the gap between his first and second coming, which is our present age. J.Vernon McGee compares this to observing 2 mountain tops. From a distance they seem to be next to each other, but there is a vast valley between them when you get closer.

Verses 13-16. The King James Version says, gird up the loins of your mind.  At that time they wore long robes down to their feet, they would raise them up, bind them with a belt, freeing their legs for running or hard active work. So, prepare our minds, be sober in spirit, and fix your hope completely on the grace, of God’s free gift to us, at Christ’s return. Again, what we will receive, our treasure, our new body, our reward for our obedience to Him! 

         As obedient children we shouldn’t go back to what we were before being born again, but we are to be like Him… Holy!

Vs.17,18 If we are claiming that God is our Father, I remember how I would imitate my dad when I was a child. Pretending to shave, helping with projects around the house, even dressing in his clothes.

Then how should we conduct ourselves, Knowing that He will judge each and every one of us for the things we say? (Matt.12:36). Then how should we conduct ourselves, Knowing that He will judge each and every one of us for the things we say? (Matt.12:36).

V.22.  Here  is our requirement that we obey, submit, to the truth (Jesus) which purifies our souls so that we can love our brothers sincerely. That word sincere is literally un-hypocritical, I was given an illustration  of the word hypocrite a long time ago that painted a picture I’ve never forgotten. The word was used to describe an actor who would hold up a mask in front of his face to portray someone else. Not showing  who he really was, not with his own emotions or his own philosophies. Basically, hiding their true self from others. So I picture a mask when the word hypocrite is used.

         Then it states Fervently, passionately putting our all into loving one another. What are we called to do? The second part of the greatest commandment.

Our flesh will not endure, it will grow old and die (unless we are raptured). It is perishable, it is defiled, and it is fading away. Thank the Lord that we get a new one. This body isn’t going to heaven with us. We get something completely new, not made with hands. Not one that has seen corruption and decay but a brand new one. Let’s compare cars, we take our old beat up car and trade it in for a new car, right? We don’t want the dealer to take our old car clean it up, give it a tune up, slap some new paint on it and give it back to us as new would we? I know I wouldn’t appreciate that. I want the brand new one. Now they’re both cars and still operate the same, so our new bodies will look similar, recognizable by those who know us and also when we look into the mirror yet imperishable, undefiled, never fading. This is part of our treasure in heaven along with our salvation all due to His grace.

         To conclude: I’ve  titled this  Our Hope. It tells us that we will go through trials and tribulations. That we will grow old and die physically. That we not conform to our former lusts we had before being born again.

         And through all this  we can greatly rejoice that we, being born again,love that term, have a hope in heaven that we will receive our treasure when He is revealed in the last time. We’ll get a new body  that is  imperishable, undefiled, never fading (remains the same). It teaches us that  we are to keep our focus on being obedient to the word, keeping ourselves holy ‘as He is holy’ set apart, pure, as a bride. For we are the bride of Christ, betrothed, engaged, to the Lord. Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. Eph.5:25-7. The wedding hasn’t taken place yet, but we look forward to it, HOPE. Therefore, having been called with a holy calling we need to remain pure, as a bride for her husband. Setting aside carnal things and set our spiritual eyes to His return.

We have joy because John saw, heard, and touched Jesus. He was a witness to Jesus’ humanity. Jesus was a real person not a ghost. He was with the Father in the beginning and John declares the eternal life which was with the Father. Jesus was made evident (manifested) so we may have fellowship with the Father and Jesus. We also enjoy this fellowship with believers in Christ. This brings us great joy.

The second reason John wrote his epistle was so that we may not sin. This implies we have a choice to sin or not sin. Before you became born-again, you did not have the power to not sin. You were controlled by your sin nature. If we say we have fellowship with God and our course of life is continually sinful we are lying to ourselves. If we say we have not sinned we are deceiving ourselves. If we say we have not sinned we make God a liar. As a believer in Jesus, one who has confessed our sins to Him and received His free gift of salvation, we have the choice to not sin because Jesus paid for our sins on the cross. All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23). The Scriptures declares us as sinners. What are we to do? We turn to the One whom John declares to us. The One he saw, heard, and touched - the One who is real. Romans 6:3-4 tells us we are baptized into Christ Jesus. This means we are identified with Jesus and with His death. We are new creations in Christ. We walk in newness of life (2 Corinthians 5:17). The shame and guilt we experienced is lifted off us in Christ. Now that gives us great joy!

Since we are identified with Christ in His death, we too are dead to sin. We no longer have to be a slave to our sins. Those sins of worry, lack of trust in the Lord, unbelief, drinking, lust, etc. do not have dominion over us any longer. God, by His Spirit, empowers us to say “no” to those sins. Praise God! Reckon (consider) yourselves to be dead to sin and alive in Christ Jesus.

Sin does not have to reign in our lives. This is where we have a choice and God’s power to live as those who overcome. Do not place yourself in a position where you are weak and easily fall into sin. Avoid those places. An unbeliever does not have this option. He can only continue to sin because he does not have the power to conquer it.

A carnal Christian has the option but chooses not to use it. The ability to overcome sinful areas in our lives brings us great joy. It’s not an easy option but it is one that pleases God.

What happens if we yield to that temptation and sin? We have the marvelous remedy in Christ Jesus. See 1 John 2:1-2.

Confess your sins to Jesus. He came for the sinner. He is our Advocate with the Father. Jesus intercedes for us. He speaks to the Father on our behalf. He is our supporter and our defender. We have placed our faith and trust in Him to forgive us of our sins. We believe He paid the full penalty for our sins. Now we have fellowship with both the Father and the Son. Jesus knows us and we are His sheep. We hear His voice. He will not cast us out. We are in Jesus’ and the Father’s hands. The Father gave us to Jesus and Jesus gives us His Holy Spirit to dwell within us. He is for us. Isn’t He wonderful?

He is the propitiation for our sins. The propitiation was Jesus on the cross satisfying the wrath and judgement of God for sin. God is offended by our sins. He hates sin. Sin must be judged. When Jesus was on the cross, the offense and righteous anger that God had for sin was placed on Jesus. The wrath of God and the demand for justice was place on Jesus. God was satisfied with the penalty Jesus paid so the Father raised Jesus on the third day.
Let us be joyful in what God has done for us in His Son Jesus.

The Dream, the Mean, and the Ugly!

• Nebuchadnezzar's Dream Vs1-16

• So then we can see from this passage that Nebuchadnezzar was troubled and sought direction. Not knowing that it was LORD that was speaking to him he does as many others - he looked to the world for answers. Cf Gen 41.8/Pharaoh; Est 6.1/Artaxerxes 
• Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. Nebuchadezzar was so intent on understanding the dream he promised whoever could give the interpretation gifts, rewards and great honor.
• Friends this kind of behavior is going on today so called psychics that says they have the answers, but they don’t know. Be careful where you go to for answers. Remember the Word of God is sure and true. Cf. Proverbs 30.5
• This was a serious situation for the men, Nebuchadnezzar was determined to know the truth and if it meant people were going to die to find the answer to the truth he was okay with that.
• Makes me think; are we that determined to know the truth when it comes to God? Are willing to go to the extreme (not harming anyone of course) to find answers to His promises? 

• God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar's Dream Vs17-30

• Daniel wasn’t even in the room well all this was going down, but once he found out he made it a priority to know the will of God in the matter. He called for a prayer meeting with his friends and in unity they sought God’s will for the answer. Do we have that same determination to seek out answers from God when life’s trials come?
• Corporate prayer is important in the life of any believer. When we pray do we expect God to answer us or are we content to just give up and take what comes our way. Daniel’s life and the lives of his friends were hanging in the balance, but aren’t ours as well? 
• Upon receiving the answer from God Daniel immediately gave praise and thanks to the LORD for His answers. V20-23 
• We also see that because the answer involved other people besides Daniel and his companions he was quick to share the answer. Friends sometimes when God gives us things they may not be entirely for us. It is with prayer that we can determine if the answer is for us or perhaps someone else. 
• Daniel stood firm in the face of the trial - although the king had promised gifts and rewards to whoever could give an answer to his dream Daniel wasn’t looking for anything in return.

God blesses whom He chooses and we should never serve Him expecting anything in return. Like Daniel let us learn to seek God on every matter that comes our way and be quick to perform the task He has put before us. 

No matter what the outcome may be let us hold fast to our belief in God and trust He will see you through. Amen