Good Morning! Welcome to Mercy Fellowship where we are Saved by Jesus Work, Changed by Jesus’ Grace, and Living on Jesus’s Mission. While the second half of Daniel is filled with grotesque visions of the kingdoms of man warring against each other and ultimately God, we see a God who is in charge of world affairs and personally engages with His people. As you process world history or current events, how do you react and respond? What do these times reveal about your character and your hope is? Where do you go for rest or clarity when you’re unsettled? Curtis looked at Chapter 7 where Daniel had a vision from God of 4 beasts representing the four empires back in Daniel 2 Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greece, and Rome. The kingdoms of the world are beastly in their rebellion from God, and will seek to wear out the saints of the most High. However, God will judge, and His kingdom will be established. Daniel 7 was a fly over of the remainder of human history. Here Daniel receives a vision that is much more focused, clear and concerning.

We talk about where we are going at Mercy Fellowship and where we have been the last 18 months.

God’s people have been taken and placed in exile, some Daniel and his friends have been put in positions of leadership, but there are challenges. God is in control over the affairs of nations and in the lives of individual people. During the first 4 chapters we’ve see several snapshots of the pagan king, Nebuchadnezzar in how he’s ruled over God’s people he’s taken in Exile and how God has been displaying His overwhelming, wisdom, power and ability to humble whoever he wills for the purposes of reminding them where power authority and provision come from. We’ve seen God’s mercy, grace, and justice, as earthly kingdom rise as another falls. We begin to question do God’s ways still “work” what do we do when God seems quiet, or we don’t see him act? Today we look at one of the most famous events in the entire bible.

God’s people have been taken and placed in exile, some Daniel and his friends have been put in positions of leadership, but there are challenges. God is in control over the affairs of nations and in the lives of individual people. During the first 4 chapters we’ve see several snapshots of the pagan king, Nebuchadnezzar in how he’s ruled over God’s people he’s taken in Exile and how God has been displaying His overwhelming, wisdom, power and ability to humble whoever he wills for the purposes of reminding them where power authority and provision come from. Each of the first 3 times however, Nebuchadnezzar was enticed by what He saw God do, but his allegiance was never changed, until he was humbled and he said God did a “wondrous” thing in turning his heart from worshiping himself to praising the God of the Bible. It’s a pretty cool story of God’s patience with man’s sin leading to repentance and restoration. God is good! God is merciful, not always giving us the consequences, we deserve. God is gracious, giving us exceedingly more than we could earn or deserve. We will see today God is also just.

DANIEL | Life in Exile - Life for Eternity Wk4: Pride of Man | Daniel 4:1-37

God’s people have been taken and placed in exile, some Daniel and his friends have been put in positions of leadership, but there are challenges. Through it all we see God is in control over the affairs of nations and in the lives of individual people. Shortly after, the pagan king, Nebuchadnezzar is given an image of a statue representing all earthly kingdoms coming to an end when a stone comes in shattering the statue and an all-consuming mountain raises in its place. God says Your Kingdom will end but mine will be eternal. Nebuchadnezzar boldly declares “Your God is God of Gods, and Lord of kings.” But his allegiance has not changed. Last week we saw God display His wisdom, this week we will see him display His power.

Welcome to Mercy Fellowship where we are Saved by Jesus Work, Changed by Jesus’ Grace, and Living on Jesus’s Mission. Today we continue our series Daniel: Life in Exile - Life for Eternity When have you been up at night not able to sleep? How do you react and respond? What do these times reveal about your character and your hope is? Where do you go for rest or clarity when you’re unsettled?

Life in Exile - Life for Eternity | In it, Not of it | Daniel 1:1-21 | Chris Rich