Nebuchadnezzar - The Price of Pride

Sin is sad. I hate what it does to people and to those who are close to them. It's painful to watch people experience the consequences. Even if you don't particularly like someone, you don't want them to experience the consequences of sin.

One of the saddest deceptions is the thought I can get away with this and no one will ever know. You do something for the first time, you tell a lie or view pornography or steal from your job, cheat on your spouse and you don't get caught and it's a rush. You got away with it so you get a little more bold and before you know it you're caught up in a lifestyle of sin. You're getting away with it. No one knows. Your friends don't know. Your pastors don't know. Your spouse doesn't know. Your boss doesn't know. Other people get caught, other people suffer horrible consequences not you. You're too smart.

That's the way Satan works. You believe the lies. No one will ever know. This is fun. It's not hurting anybody not even me. I can stop anytime I want. I'm having all the fun and not paying the price. Satan offers you fun and feeling good but doesn't reveal the price. When you discover the price, it's much higher than you ever imagined. Sin leaves a trail of emotional, physical, relational and spiritual destruction. That Satan's real plan. He wants to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to destroy your life, your marriage, your career, your family, your reputation, your ministry, your influence. He wants to destroy everything.

This may not be a popular thought but what if when you did something wrong you immediately suffered a visible consequence from God. You couldn't hide your sin but everyone would see it. Think about it there's no way you would continue in sin if you knew you'd be instantly caught. If when you gossiped your mouth became a horse's mouth. [audience laughing] You'd be more careful with your words. If when you stole something you turned into a chihuahua.[audience laughing] You'd never steal again. If when you disobeyed your parents, your ears turned into a donkey's ears. You'd be sure to obey. If when you thought an impure thought your hair instantly turned bright green. You'd be more careful about your thoughts. If when you told a lie your nose grew like Pinocchio's.[audience laughing] You'd never tell a lie again.

No secret sins. No secret life. Parents you don't always know if your kids lied. They wouldn't be able to hide it. But your kids would also know if you lied cheated or had impure thoughts and nobody wants that. Well maybe for others but not for themselves. You want other people to receive instant punishment, while you want to receive immediate grace. Because after all you didn't mean to do it. God knows my heart. See we judge other people by their actions, we judge ourselves by our motives. They deserve punishment, you deserve mercy and grace.

The story we'll look at today found in Daniel chapter 4. King Nebuchadnezzar sent a letter to the whole world which was possible in those days. The letter tells a story about when Nebuchadnezzar's punishment for sin became visible for everyone to see. No hiding no pretending. Nebuchadnezzar was taught a painful lesson. Now here's what happened before the letter then we'll get the letter. Nebuchadnezzar was a great and mighty king. He was the most powerful man in the world and he was proud of it. One night he had a dream that scared him. He couldn't figure it out so he called together his advisers. They couldn't figure it out either. Finally he called for one of his prisoners a Hebrew named Daniel and Daniel told him what the dream meant. He said, "This is the interpretation o King. This is the decree the Most High has issued against my lord the king." So he started by saying God has issued a decree against you. Pretty bold pretty strong to say to a king that had people killed who disagreed with him. Here's what God says, "You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times or years will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the most high is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives to them to anyone he wishes. The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots," that's all part of the confusing dream, "means your kingdom will be restored when you acknowledge that heaven rules instead of you."

Here it is in my words, King you're prideful. You believe everything good in your kingdom, everything good you have is because you are so great. You turn your back on God and you made yourself God. God's not happy. If you don't repent of your pride and change, you're gonna spend seven years living like a cow. We'll see how proud you are then. You'll stay that way until you acknowledge that God is God and you're not. Verse 27 "Therefore O king be pleased to accept my advice." Daniels no longer interpreting the dream. This is dangerous ground.The captive was giving advice to his captor. "Renounce your sins by doing what's right. In your wickedness by being kind to the oppressed. It may be that then your prosperity will continue." And that's it that's the word from God and the advice from Daniel. We don't know what happened next. The Bible doesn't tell us how Nebuchadnezzar reacted or what the other people around him said. Instead we pick up the story one year later. Apparently Nebuchadnezzar forgot the dream and Daniel's interpretation which seems amazing but it had been a year. Everything was going great. So this prideful King who believed he was above God and above the law wrongly assumed that there would be no consequences to his sin.

Pride is dangerous. I'm convinced that pride is the underlying sin that causes many Christians and many leaders to fail. Pride is so easy to spot in others. It's so difficult to spot in yourself. Proud people say things like I'm not proud I'm just self-confident. I'm not proud they're just jealous because I'm successful and secure because I'm better than them. Pride is me first living. Pride put self on a pedestal. Self can do anything. Self deserves things. Self has power. Self is never at fault. Pride always has someone else to blame somebody else's fault.

"Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said 'Is this not a great Babylon I have built as the royal residence." Nebuchadnezzar looked out over his kingdom and said look at the wonderful Kingdom I have built. I did it. I made it. I made this place great. Pride says look what I've done. You may say it a little different why built this business all by myself. I made it happen. I solved it. I quit drinking for a month on my own. I don't need help from anyone else. I can handle it all by myself. I. I. I. Nebuchadnezzar "Is this not the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence for my mighty power." Pride says I'm great, I'm wonderful. Look at me I'm mighty, I'm strong. When I think about it, I really am wonderful. The world is lucky to have me. This church they're lucky to have me. In fact, God is lucky to have me. Look how much money I give. Look at everything I do. What would God do without me? I really am great. Now that I think about it.

Nebuchadnezzar continued. "Is this not the great Babylon I built as the royal residence for my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty." It's pretty easy to dislike Nebuchadnezzar at this point but he made the same mistake so many of us make. This is the most dangerous thought of all. You may not say or even think I am great. You may not say look what I did but how often do you think I deserve this. I deserve more. In fact I deserve something better than this. You see something good happen to someone else and you say well he doesn't deserve that, which means he doesn't deserve that I deserve it.

Real fast let's review something that I've taught before a grid blessing expectation entitlement. The first time you receive something, maybe even the first couple times, you see it as a blessing. It's a blessing from God. Eventually you begin to expect it. It may still be a blessing but now it's something that you expect to happen. And if it doesn't then something's wrong. And then from there it is just a short step from expectation to entitlement. It's no longer a blessing instead now it's what you're entitled to is what you deserve. The prideful person feels entitled to what they used to consider a blessing. Nebuchadnezzar decided I deserve all this. I'm entitled to it. Look at me I'm great, I'm mighty, I'm powerful, I'm King.

Now remember God had warned Nebuchadnezzar. If God told me, Rod if you keep doing that I'm gonna turn you into a cow. [audience laughing] I would tend to remember that. I mean that's a pretty severe consequence. That's the kind of thing that stays in your mind, not Nebuchadnezzar. It's only been a year but he's already forgotten. He's standing there and he said "Is this not the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence by my mighty power for the glory of my majesty." The words were still on his lips and this if this were a movie you'd hear dum dum dum dum. [audience laughing] This wasn't a long delay. We want to say Nebuchadnezzar don't do it. Don't go there. He's God. He means it. You don't want to be a cow. Stop! The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven. "This is the voice of God This is what is decreed for you King Nebuchadnezzar." And I imagine a pause and Nebuchadnezzar's knees begin to shake. Suddenly he remembered God's decree and what comes next is not only what happened to Nebuchadnezzar but to all of us when we allow pride to take over.

This is it. This price of pride. God said "Your royal authority has been taken from you. In other words you're not King anymore, it's over. It happened that fast [snap] to Nebuchadnezzar. Same thing happens to you and me. The price of pride is you lose the thing that made you proud. Whatever is the source of your pride, whatever is that thing you've put before God, that's what you're going to lose. If its position, you'll lose position. If it's power, power will be gone. If it's possessions, if you're just proud of your stuff, God will gotta let it be gone. That's the height of ingratitude. The very thing God gave you to begin with now makes you proud. Attention, that'll be gone. Recognition, the money that God gave you, the position that was from God, that talent it's not because of you it's because of God gave it to you. See you thought it was you. You were so proud and now it's gone. Now it's all gone. Pride will cause you to lose the source of your pride.

God wasn't done. He continued to Nebuchadnezzar. "You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like cattle. Seven times, that's years, will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the most high is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes." Would not take me seven years, by the way. If I'm living like a cow, seven minutes. "Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people." The greatest king of the world. The ruler of the vast empire. A leader with thousands of servants, now found himself hopelessly alone. That's the second thing that happens when pride takes over. You're isolated from others. It just happens. After all who wants to be around someone who's full of pride. Who wants to be around that spirit. Even people who don't know God don't want to be with you. A prideful person is a lonely person and that pride will ultimately result in you being isolated from the very people used to try to impress.

"He was driven away from people and ate grass like cattle. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird." The great Nebuchadnezzar, mighty King eating grass in a field looking like something between a man and an animal totally and completely humiliated. I imagine whoever owned the land probably sold tickets to come see the cow man king. Nebuchadnezzar was the butt of every joke. Everyone was laughing. Everyone was making fun of him. Everyone was talking about and Nebuchadnezzar was totally and completely humiliated. He wasn't proud anymore. When you fall as a result of pride, it's not pretty. The fall from pride is ugly and painful. When pride takes over ultimately you're humiliated. It just happens. And you might look at this story and you might say, that is so cruel how could God do that or how can God allow that to happen to anyone. Don't forget God warned him. He knew what was coming. He blew through all the warnings. You do the same thing Run through your list of Christian musicians and superstar preachers who had amazing gifts and talents and suffered a humiliating public fall. Their sins laid out for the world to see. Big names and small names, they're all humiliated when they fall. It's not just great men. Anyone can fall from pride. It can happen to you or to me when we ignore God's warnings. God's put stop signs in our life. There's people telling us no. His word is telling us no. We have moments where we just know what we're supposed to do and we ignore that. Just know there is a high price for a pride filled life.

Why, because when you are filled with pride you set yourself against God. Look what James chapter 4 verse 6 says "God opposes the proud." Do you know what that means? Means God's on the other side. You've become an enemy of God "but he gives grace to the humble." God on your side or God against you that's the choice. So you've done it. You've allowed pride to take over. You decided you could get away with sin and it wouldn't cost you. You decided wrong and now you're paying a high price. You identify with Nebuchadnezzar. And when you read his consequences and we go through them you say that's me now. I understand you don't live in a field and eat grass but come to think of it you might prefer that price to the one you're paying. You lost your family or your friends. Your kids hate you because of the hurt you put them through. You completely shattered the trust you had with your parents, with your leaders. You're no longer employable. Nobody wants to hire someone like you. The road back from the debt you're in looks impossible. You lost so much. Alone, humiliated what's next. Once you're there, is there any hope.

That's the back story and that's why Nebuchadnezzar wrote a letter. He wrote a letter to share his story and to offer hope. How he through God's grace found his way back. Nebuchadnezzar shared the road back from the sin of pride and really just the road back from sin. He wrote this letter to the whole world. "At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes towards heaven and my sanity was restored." Do you have a picture? Nebuchadnezzar alone in a field reduced to nothing. Finally after seven years decided to lift his eyes and look to heaven and look to God. That's the first step back, Look to Jesus. No longer looking to myself. It's no longer about me. I'm looking to Jesus. And you say, but Rod I have fallen so far. Everyone knows my sin. [music playing] Everyone knows my failure. I lost my job or I lost my family. I lost my position. I've lost my reputation. How can I look to Jesus? What will he do with me? Get your eyes off yourself and look to him. As long as you're looking at yourself or you're blaming others, you're still making that same prideful mistake. Look to Jesus.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, O Lord, take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and renew a right spirit within me. Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me. Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence O Lord, take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and renew a right spirit within me. Renew a right spirit within me O Lord would you renew right spirit within me. Make my eyes see. Make my heart clean. Help me love you ways more than I love me. Lord renew a right spirit within me Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me. This song is a prayer that David prayed after a failure. It's a good prayer to pray. Look to Jesus and pray created in me a clean heart, Lord.

Nebuchadnezzar said "My sanity was restored then I praised the Most High. I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion. His kingdom endures from generation to generation." What a different story. Seven years earlier it was look at the kingdom I have built. Now it's his kingdom endures from generation to generation. Nebuchadnezzar said I figured it out. My kingdom, my ability, my stuff is nothing. His kingdom is forever. That's the second step. Give God the glory. Be specific. God everything I have is because of you. God everything I am is because of you. It all belongs to you. I am nothing in myself. I am only what I am because of you. I give you the glory, Lord, Nebuchadnezzer continued "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him what have you done." Nebuchadnezzar said I'm nothing it's all God. Look how great he is. Look what he's done. He deserves the credit and the glory and the honor, it's all him and I am powerless to stop him. What an attitude that's opposite from what it was before? It's a really important step on the road back. Admit your weakness. If you've ever been in celebrate recovery, what's step one. Somebody call it out to me. Somebody stand somebody stand up and say it loud. I admit I am powerless to do my own will. My life has become unmanageable. Admit your weakness. You got to start there. If you don't start there then pride is still resident. It's when people say well I can handle it, I can do this, that's still pride. Instead it's God I need you. I can't live without you. I'm stuck. I'm powerless. I can't fix this. You alone are powerful. It's not about me. It's not about what I know. It's not about what I can do. It's not about what I have. I am nothing and powerless without you and so I come to you and I confess my need for you. Pride is independence, I can do it on my own. That kind of prayer and attitude is dependent. God, I can only do it with your help.

Nebuchadnezzar writes "At the same time that my sanity was restored my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom." Nebuchadnezzar was restored but this times a little different. Look what he said. He said for the glory of my kingdom, it's not for me it's for them. You defeat pride when you live for others. Pride says I deserve to be served. Everyone should look to me. Everyone should serve me. Those who depend on God say I'm here to serve. Everything God has given me isn't for me it's for his kingdom. So how can I take what I have and how can I take what God's given me and how can I use it for him. Instead of looking to lead the person who struggles with pride should look to serve. If you struggle with pride don't join the worship team. You don't need a mic in your hand and light shining on you. Find a ministry that gets no public glory. Find a place to serve others selflessly. Look for the job no one else wants to do. Take a position with no visibility and no attention and no recognition and no glory. Serve God and serve others with no honor. Kill your glory seeking pride. Serving others is an important step in finding your way back. It's also a wonderful way to present prevent pride.

Nebuchadnezzar continued "My advisors and Nobles sought me out. I was restored to my throne and became greater than before." And that concerns me a little sounds like he's becoming pridefull but now he fixes it. "Now, I Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the king of heaven because everything he does is right and his ways are just." The guy who just spent seven years as a cow is not saying it's unfair what my consequences are. He's saying what he does is right and his ways are just. Nebuchadnezzar was using the good things in his life to talk about God. One of the best ways to defeat pride is to talk about God. It is difficult to be proud of yourself when you're talking about what he's done. Share your story. Share what God has done for you. Give Him glory.

Now Nebuchadnezzar finishes his worldwide letter with a warning. He ignored God's statements and now he has a warning for others. This is the final statement in Nebuchadnezzar's letter to the world "And those who walk in pride he is able to humble." Guess he knew that first hand didn't he. Don't ever forget what pride costs you. When you walk in pride you will be humbled. Remember the price of me first living. Remember the price of pride. Don't ever forget. Now some of that price is our own doing. It's natural consequences we suffer as a result of poor choices. But Jesus in Luke 8:14 said "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and He Who humbles himself will be exalted." Like a loving parent, God is willing to discipline and allow you to experience consequences so you will learn but first he gives you the option to change. If the Lord has pinpointed pride is an area in your heart that you need to deal with like Daniel did Nebuchadnezzar I give you this warning. There's a price to pride. Humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up. All that stuff you're doing trying to lift yourself up and trying to promote yourself, trying to make sure everybody knows about you all that stuff doesn't work and never will. The path is humble yourself before the Lord and when you do he will lift you up.

I told you at the start I hate watching the consequences of sin in people's lives. It's painful. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy but allow their consequences to be your teacher. It's the price and there is a price for sin. And regardless of how cute and special you are, how smart you are, how much you have price is the same. I want to pray for you and bow your heads. This is a tough story pretty tough word I know that. But I want to pray for you two things. [music playing] Number one I want to pray for you if you say Rod as you're talking I have some concern. I think I identified some pride in my own life. Here's the funny thing, anytime you do a response for pride proud people won't respond. If you say I've allowed that. I've allowed pride to creep in and I see it. Would you pray for me because I don't won't pay the price and I want to learn from Nebuchadnezzar's mistakes instead of making my own. If that's you I just pray right you're at. Although what I should do is have you stand up and come to the front and turn around and face the crowd so we'd kill that pride. I want pray for you right where you're at. I say Pastor Rod pray for me because prides an issue. and I see that. Just raise your hand, I'm gonna pray for you right now and I thank you for honesty. Lord, you see people in this room who in a really vulnerable moment said I see that I've allowed pride to sneak in. Lord, sometimes we're prideful for the things that you've been doing in our life, which seems so foolish. But Lord, I pray for each of these I prayed that they would heed the warning of Nebuchadnezzar and that they would follow your instructions. You said if we exalt our self will be humbled but if we humble ourself we'll be exalted. Lord, I pray for each person you would help them to learn the lesson and to humble themselves, to selflessly serve and avoid the pitfalls and the price of pride.

Now keep your head bowed if you would. I want to pray for you if you say Pastor Rod I am currently suffering the consequences of sin and this is tough. I hurt for you, I do. But I want to pray for you that even as you experience the consequences that you'll learn the lessons and the result of the consequences in your life will be God's character in you being developed. Like Nebuchadnezzar you'll come out of those consequences and you will a different person, a changed person giving the glory and the honor to the Lord. Again I'll pray for you right where you're at because this is tough. Say Pastor Rod pray for me I'm suffering the consequences of sin right now. I just really need prayer. If that you raise your hand I want to pray for you. Heavenly Father I pray for people in this room, people watching online. Lord, we take no joy in anyone experiencing the consequences of sin. We thank you for your mercy and your grace and your forgiveness. We know we don't deserve it but you offer it anyway. So Lord, I pray in this difficult season of life of experiencing consequence, Lord, I pray they wouldn't eject, that wouldn't run away from you or from your people. I pray Lord, that they wouldn't give up, give up on themselves or give up on you but I pray Lord that their response would be the same as Nebuchadnezzar. That they would lift their eyes to you and they would acknowledge that you are Lord all and whatever you decide is right and just and we trust you. Lord, I pray that their anger at consequences would not short-circuit their journey of forgiveness and healing. But instead in the middle of this you would form the character that you desire in their lives. Lord, I pray that just like Nebuchadnezzar on the other side of this they'd still be and do everything you've called them and designed them to be and do. Lord God, we don't ask you to erase consequences but we thank you that you walk through consequences with us and you see us through. And we give you glory and we give you honor and we give you praise and we thank you in Jesus name Amen and amen.