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JUNE 5, 2011-NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S DREAM June 5, 2011 In the second year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar he had a dream. It seems that he was lying in bed one night, wondering what the future would bring as he considered the greatness of his kingdom. That night God allowed him to have a dream that would tell of future events. This dream was not given for the benefit of King Nebuchadnezzar, but for the purpose of revealing to mankind the greatness of the Kingdom of God. This dream was a most thrilling dream and when Nebuchadnezzar awakened, although he was impressed with the dream, he could not remember what it was. Many of us have had a similar experience, dreaming a dream that we wished to remember and not able to recall what it was. Nebuchadnezzar called in the wise men of Babylon — magicians, astrologers and sorcerers. He told them to interpret his dream. They said, "Tell us what the dream was and we will interpret it for you." He said, "Boys, you are going to have to do double duty today. I have forgotten the dream. You will not only have to interpret the dream, but first tell me what it was." They must have been hard of hearing, or else they ignored the king, because they repeated again, "Tell us the dream and we will give you the answer." The King told them that he expected they would try to gain time and said, "If you can't tell me what the dream was, that indicates that you are a bunch of shysters. Tell me what the dream was and then I will know that you are on the level." They said, , "You have asked us to do something that no magician, astrologers or sorcerers have ever been asked to do before." Nebuchadnezzar said, "You boys leave me no other chance. I'll cut you in pieces and make your houses a dunghill." The decree went forth and Arioch, the captain of the King's guard, set the program in motion. Daniel heard about the proceedings and realized he was in a very precarious position since he was counted as one of the wise men of Babylon. His neck was on the line and his house would be made a dunghill too; and not only that, but his good friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, would be included in the purge. Although Daniel and the three other worthies were listed in all the official records as being among the wise men of Babylon, they must not be confused as the same as the rest. Daniel was not an astrologer, he did not consult the horoscope; nor was he a sorcerer, he never consulted witches; nor was he a warlock himself. He was listed among them but he was not one of them. In a similar way, I am listed as being in a fraternity with others I would be ashamed to associate with also. People sometimes ask me, "And what do you do?" I am somewhat ashamed to tell them. I know if I say I am an evangelist they probably will think or say, "0 ONE OF THOSE!" From the standpoint of the world view of things, they would think more of me if I said I was a pimp or a bank robber. Their reaction to this would be, "0, HOW INTERESTING!" I have solved the problem somewhat by telling them that I am an ICHTHYOLOGIST. Most don't want to reveal THEIR ignorance by asking me what that is and the conversation is terminated. For those who do want to know what an Ichthyologist is, I tell them that Ichthus is a Greek word for fish and an Ichthyologist is one who studies fish. Jesus said, "I will make you fishers of men," and that is what I am—an Ichthyologist. Although I am an evangelist, I don't want to be lumped in with the evangelists on television, or in most denominations for that matter. Like I say, Daniel was in a very precarious position and knew something had to be done. He persuaded Arioch to give him a little time and went to the Lord about the problem. The Lord cooperated by letting Daniel in on the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. God revealed it to him in a night vision. I suppose that means God gave him the same dream the King had. Not only did God give him the same dream, but the Lord gave him the interpretation. With this information Daniel went back to Arioch and asked for an audience with the King. The appointment was made and Daniel came in to tell Nebuchadnezzar his dream and the interpretation thereof. The Lord and His Church are tried, precious, and sure. The Apostle Peter tells us in his first epistle, "If ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious, unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, and precious, ye also as living stones, are built up a spiritual house...." A TRIED STONE According to the prophecy of Isaiah the stone is tried. The scripture is filled with the trials of Jesus and His Church. Jesus Himself was tried by the devil, among other places, in the wilderness of temptation. He was led out into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. The devil tried the stone and Jesus did not break. The devil departed from Him for a season and returned many times, and always the same—Jesus did not break. He was the stone cut out without hands. Not only was the Lord tried by the devil, He was also tried by man. They said to Him in the closing days of His ministry, "By what authority doest thou these things, and who gave thee this authority?" Many and varied were the trials. "Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar? Whose wife shall she be? What is the greatest commandment in the law? Show us a sign from heaven. How then doth He now say I am come down out of heaven? How can he give us His flesh to eat? Art thou the King of the Jews? What is truth? How can a man be born again when he is old? On and on the questions came throughout His ministry. Jesus was thoroughly tried by men. Not only was He tried by the devil and man, He was tried by the Heavenly Father. On the cross Jesus said, "My God! My God! Why hast thou forsaken Me?" The stone that Nebuchadnezzar saw cut out without hands was a tried stone. A PRECIOUS STONE Not only was the stone cut out without hands — a tried stone — but it was also a precious stone. Isaiah said it was a precious cornerstone and Peter called it a stone elect and precious. Under normal circumstances we take water for granted. It is as near to us as the turn of the tap. But to a person on the desert Before Daniel told the King his dream, he was careful to point out that it was not through any intelligence of his that he was able to give the interpretation but because of the God in heaven who was able to show the things that would come to pass in the future. He told the King that he had been wondering about the future and that God revealed it to him by the dream. "You saw a great image, it was a bright image, it stood before thee and the form was terrible. The head was made of gold, the breast and the arms were made of silver, the belly and the thighs were of brass and the legs were of iron and part clay. The stone not cut out by hands is the Church of Christ all will stand forever. Jesus said, "The gates of hades shall not prevail against it." Isaiah, the prophet, mentioned this in the twenty-eighth chapter of his prophecy when he said, "Thus said the Lord God, behold I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious stone, a sure foundation...." These are. the prophesied aualities of the Lord and His Church with no prospects of getting more, his canteen full of water is more previous than gold. He will not wish to waste a drop. Jesus, who gives the water of life, must be recognized as the most precious thing in our lives. Peter told the council at Jerusalem, when they were being tried for healing the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, "There is therefore now no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." Jesus is our only hope. The Christ and His Church is the most important thing in our lives. Christ is the center of everything. Nothing is more important. The reason that other things are put first is because Christ and His Church are not precious in the thinking of many. Christ and His Church are precious. Don't waste a drop of the Water of Life. The night service is precious. The prayer meeting is precious. Every Church activity is precious. A SURE STONE Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that the dream is certain and the interpretation sure. Paul told Timothy, "Howbeit the firm foundation of God standeth sure." The Lord knoweth them that are His, let everyone that nameth the name of the Lord Jesus depart from iniquity. Remember Peter said, "Ye also are living stones, built up a spiritual house." And again Paul tells us in Ephesians that we are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the saints and the household of God, built upon the foundation of Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ, Himself being the chief cornerstone. We all have a piece of the rock. We are all a part of the rock and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. The stone is sure and we are sure. We are just as sure as the Lord is sure. We stand or fall in Christ. Our salvation is just as sure and solid as the Rock of Ages. The stone cut out without hands is tried, precious, and sure. Such was the meaning of the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. CONCLUSION Remember that Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar that the stone cut out without hands would break in pieces and consume all the other kingdoms. Not only is this true as far as nations are concerned, but for individuals also. Jesus told the chief priest after the Triumphal Entry that the stone that the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner. Whoever falls on this stone shall be broken in pieces, and on whom ever it falls it will scatter him as dust. Those who are a part of the stone cu t with out hands are indestructible and those who are not shall be ground as powder and scattered as dust. To those who are not a part of the stone that is as big as a mountain and covers the whole earth, Peter has a word of warning in the eighth verse of First Peter, chapter one. He refers to the stone of stumbling and the rock of offence. He further states they stumble at the word. Many have stumbled over the stone cut out without hands. To many that stone is a rock of offence. I know of no place where people stumble at the word and trip over the rock of offence as much as at the point of how to be saved. Peter said on the day of Pentecost to those who inquired, "What shall we do?" 'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Luke tells is in Acts the eighth chapter of an example of how a baptism was performed. They went down into the water...they came up out of the water.... In spite of the clarity of God's word, many there are who stumble at the word and trip up on the rock of offence. They shall be broken in pieces and ground as powder. The stone is tried, precious, and sure—upon this rock I will build My Church and the gatesof Hades shall not prevail against it. |
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