CCF Sunday Messages

As we close out Daniel chapter four, we watch as God puts the powerful and proud Nebuchadnezzar on display as an extreme example of pride and humility. He goes from the palace to the pasture—and back again!

King Nebuchadnezzar had another unsettling dream about an enormous tree that gets cut down and stripped. Daniel is able to explain the dream in which the tree symbolized Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel ends with a warning and some Godly advice to the king.

Now twelve months have passed and has the king taken the advice? Has he humbled himself? Nope. In fact, he is more delusional and self congratulatory than ever. Guess what? Class is in session and Nebuchadnezzar has been enrolled—like it or not—in Reality 101. For him, it’s a seven year course of seminary study to learn the lesson. To enter the program he had to be stripped of everything, just like the tree in his dream.

I bet he would say it was worth it: the humiliation, the loss, the new perspective and revelation. Humility can really only be learned in the school of suffering. Nebuchadnezzar gets his seminary degree from Bovine University! He has a masters in the theology of God’s sovereignty! There is a remarkable ending to this incredible story. Listen in and see!

As we close out Daniel chapter four, we watch as God puts the powerful and proud Nebuchadnezzar on display as an extreme example of pride and humility. He goes from the palace to the pasture—and back again!

King Nebuchadnezzar had another unsettling dream about an enormous tree that gets cut down and stripped. Daniel is able to explain the dream in which the tree symbolized Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel ends with a warning and some Godly advice to the king.

Now twelve months have passed and has the king taken the advice? Has he humbled himself? Nope. In fact, he is more delusional and self congratulatory than ever. Guess what? Class is in session and Nebuchadnezzar has been enrolled—like it or not—in Reality 101. For him, it’s a seven year course of seminary study to learn the lesson. To enter the program he had to be stripped of everything, just like the tree in his dream.

I bet he would say it was worth it: the humiliation, the loss, the new perspective and revelation. Humility can really only be learned in the school of suffering. Nebuchadnezzar gets his seminary degree from Bovine University! He has a masters in the theology of God’s sovereignty! There is a remarkable ending to this incredible story. Listen in and see!

As we enter the much-anticipated fourth chapter of Daniel, sadly we are forced to break the chapter into two parts. We will look at verses 1-27 first, followed by the conclusion next time.

Absent from chapter three and the fiery furnace, Daniel is back on the scene and gets another chance at dream interpretation for the king. Like before in chapter two, the dream is troubling and causes confusion. The last dream was of a giant mixed media statue that was destroyed by a stone. This time his dream involves an enormous, beautiful, fruitful tree. But a declaration is made that the tree should be cut down! What?

Why would someone cut down a tree that is big and beautiful and fruitful? That seems wasteful, or even frivolous! What is the lesson, and how did this chapter influence the writing of our Constitution??

Oh my! Daniel chapter four is extremely important and relevant to the current events in our world. The more things change, the more they stay the same!

As we enter the much-anticipated fourth chapter of Daniel, sadly we are forced to break the chapter into two parts. We will look at verses 1-27 first, followed by the conclusion next time.

Absent from chapter three and the fiery furnace, Daniel is back on the scene and gets another chance at dream interpretation for the king. Like before in chapter two, the dream is troubling and causes confusion. The last dream was of a giant mixed media statue that was destroyed by a stone. This time his dream involves an enormous, beautiful, fruitful tree. But a declaration is made that the tree should be cut down! What?

Why would someone cut down a tree that is big and beautiful and fruitful? That seems wasteful, or even frivolous! What is the lesson, and how did this chapter influence the writing of our Constitution??

Oh my! Daniel chapter four is extremely important and relevant to the current events in our world. The more things change, the more they stay the same!

As we finish up chapter three we revisit one of the most well known of all the stories in the Bible: the fiery furnace. Last week we watched the story unfold: potentially thousands of Nebuchadnezzar’s government employees have been summoned to express their loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar under penalty of death in a fiery furnace. Just bow down when the Babylonian Anthem is played and everything is cool. But three monotheistic Jews couldn’t pretend, and now its show time. Our God can rescue us, but if not….

How dare they defy the sovereign ruler of that world? What comes next? What will God do? Will they suffer agonizingly in the furnace? Will they become a lesson to everyone that you dare not cross Nebuchadnezzar?

I think that deep inside we really wonder if God can protect us or care for us. We expect God to keep us out of the furnace (trial) and if He doesn’t, he doesn’t love us or has failed us. In our minds, we do the “right thing” to get the result we expect from God. But God has a different plan and it is much more clear in this passage than anywhere else. God has grace and power and freedom for us that we can only experience in the furnace. No fire, no freedom.

What an amazing story to consider; listen in and be ready to be challenged!

As we finish up chapter three we revisit one of the most well known of all the stories in the Bible: the fiery furnace. Last week we watched the story unfold: potentially thousands of Nebuchadnezzar’s government employees have been summoned to express their loyalty to Nebuchadnezzar under penalty of death in a fiery furnace. Just bow down when the Babylonian Anthem is played and everything is cool. But three monotheistic Jews couldn’t pretend, and now its show time. Our God can rescue us, but if not….

How dare they defy the sovereign ruler of that world? What comes next? What will God do? Will they suffer agonizingly in the furnace? Will they become a lesson to everyone that you dare not cross Nebuchadnezzar?

I think that deep inside we really wonder if God can protect us or care for us. We expect God to keep us out of the furnace (trial) and if He doesn’t, he doesn’t love us or has failed us. In our minds, we do the “right thing” to get the result we expect from God. But God has a different plan and it is much more clear in this passage than anywhere else. God has grace and power and freedom for us that we can only experience in the furnace. No fire, no freedom.

What an amazing story to consider; listen in and be ready to be challenged!

Daniel 3 actually doesn’t involve Daniel at all! He is absent from the chapter. But his three friends are put in an awkward spot to resist public pressure—and even threats—to be true to their God. We often pray for safety, but there are times when our decision to be God serving people may actually put us in danger.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego make a statement that has resonated through the centuries with God’s people. It is as simple and clear and powerful today as it was when it was first uttered in Babylon. To whom do you offer ultimate allegiance? Remember: if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything—or anyone!

Daniel 3 actually doesn’t involve Daniel at all! He is absent from the chapter. But his three friends are put in an awkward spot to resist public pressure—and even threats—to be true to their God. We often pray for safety, but there are times when our decision to be God serving people may actually put us in danger.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego make a statement that has resonated through the centuries with God’s people. It is as simple and clear and powerful today as it was when it was first uttered in Babylon. To whom do you offer ultimate allegiance? Remember: if you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything—or anyone!

We left Daniel standing in the presence of the Nebuchadnezzar, having announced that he knows the dream and the interpretation. Can you feel the suspense? What was the dream? What does it mean?

Daniel tells the king his dream and then tells him what it means. I don’t want to give away too much, but I can tell you the dream is of a magnificent, giant, stratified metal statue (idol). Statues like this would be very familiar to the idol worshippers of the day.

The statue gives God a way to walk Nebuchadnezzar through the history of world dominating empires from their current time in history on into the future. There is a succession of “kingdoms” (empires) that all meet a common end as the statue ends up being hit by something like a meteor—a stone cut out without human involvement—which utterly destroys it!

I know that you know we live in strange times. Many have a sense that things are not getting better, but getting worse. We also have a sense that things cannot go on like they are. Where does it end? What happens next?

Trust me when I say you will not want to miss the next installment of our study in Daniel!

We left Daniel standing in the presence of the Nebuchadnezzar, having announced that he knows the dream and the interpretation. Can you feel the suspense? What was the dream? What does it mean?

Daniel tells the king his dream and then tells him what it means. I don’t want to give away too much, but I can tell you the dream is of a magnificent, giant, stratified metal statue (idol). Statues like this would be very familiar to the idol worshippers of the day.

The statue gives God a way to walk Nebuchadnezzar through the history of world dominating empires from their current time in history on into the future. There is a succession of “kingdoms” (empires) that all meet a common end as the statue ends up being hit by something like a meteor—a stone cut out without human involvement—which utterly destroys it!

I know that you know we live in strange times. Many have a sense that things are not getting better, but getting worse. We also have a sense that things cannot go on like they are. Where does it end? What happens next?

Trust me when I say you will not want to miss the next installment of our study in Daniel!