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God Raises up the Humble and Brings Down the Prideful

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[Daniel 4:37]
Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

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Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, who brought down Judah was well-known as a huge conqueror and as an outrageous man as well. One day, when this King Nebuchadnezzar was living peacefully in his palace, he had a dream which completely changed the rest of his life.

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He saw a beautiful and solid tree in his dream. The tree grew bigger and bigger and finally it became huge enough to cover the sky. The branches were also abundant with lots of fruit that were as appetizing as the largeness of the tree. A lot of wild animals found shelter under the shade of the tree and many birds built their nests on the thick branches of the tree.

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At that moment, sacred messengers of heaven came down and shouted loudly over the tree. "Cut down this tree and trim off its branches! Chase out all the wild animals and birds out of its branches and shade. Leave only the stump and its roots and bound it with iron and bronze! He will live with wild animals among the plants of the earth. His mind will change from that of a man to the mind of an animal, till seven times pass by for him!"

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King Nebuchadnezzar woke up from his dream and felt afraid.
The king called Daniel, a man of God to explain his dream.
The king asked Daniel to interpret what his dream meant.

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Daniel realized that it was a dream from God and was perplexed for a time. The king noticed it and said. "Daniel, do not hesitate and just tell me as it is. Daniel answered, "My lord, I wish that the meaning of this dream would be upon your enemies!"

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Daniel began to interpret the dream.

"The strong and big tree you saw in your dream is you, Your Majesty. Therefore, the decree of the Most High has been given to you, my lord. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals. You will eat grass like the cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven."

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The interpretation of Daniel continued.
"Like this, seven times will pass by for you until you accept that the Most High rules over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone that fits the will of the Most High. The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you accept that God rules over the world."

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After finishing his interpretation, Daniel sincerely advised the king. "My lord, repent of your sins and starting doing what is right and give to the poor! If you do so, your prosperity may continue." So, Nebuchadnezzar realized that it had been a special dream and he fell into deep thought.

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Then, one day after twelve months from that day, the king was peacefully walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. Upon looking down on the huge kingdom of Babylon, the king spoke loudly out of arrogance.

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The words were still on the king's lips when a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times 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."

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Those words were fulfilled to King Nebuchadnezzar at that very moment. He was driven away from people, ate grass like cattle, drenched with the dew of heaven, his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails grew like the claws of a bird. A glorious king changed to an animal in an instance. He had to live that way until the time God had set for him.

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When it reached the time God had set for him, King Nebuchadnezzar looked up to the sky with awe. At that moment, his mind was restored. He got his kingdom back and finally, he praised the Most High God. He gave all of the praises to God alone.

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After coming back, Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed to the whole kingdom like this. "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar praise the King of heaven and glorify only him! How great are his signs!! How mighty his wonders!! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, his dominion endures from generation to generation!"

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Through dreams, God made King Nebuchadnezzar realize how bad his pride was and by fulfilling the dream, God taught Nebuchadnezzar the glory of God which is higher than anything in this world. Even King Nebuchadnezzar who had ruled over the whole world, when God took it away from him, he lived a miserable life.

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Friends, what do you think of God?
How can we face God the right way as believers of Jesus?
The Bible teaches that God hates arrogant people.

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We, as children of God, should always have humble hearts and offer praise and glorify God our Father, the only one rightly to be praised. Let us work hard to become real children of God who know how to respect God anytime and anywhere.

(You can change the conclusion of this sermon best suiting to your listeners of this sermon. We want to make it clear that the provided conclusion is only a sample conclusion provided by CTM.)