Good morning church family. Maybe I'm in the doghouse. I don't know. Um Yeah, this is a little different. Ok. This is a little different. So, but I think this is gonna be helpful. So yes, this is a little odd. This is a little different here to preach out of and to preach from. But the purpose here is for us to have a practical and personal conversation that hopefully you can remember and take with you into the week. So the question I want to ask of you today is simply this what is holding you captive? Now here this morning, I am physically captive in this little cage here. And so I wanna ask you what is holding you captive? Is there something going on in your life? Is there a challenging circumstance that makes you feel boxed in? Maybe it is a personal struggle, maybe it is a health scare or a financial difficulty. May maybe it is a tough personal relationship, something that causes you anxiety or worry, something that just keeps you locked up and locked in. Maybe you feel like giving up or, or giving in and, and, and you just feel like God, where are you? What I want to encourage you with today is this truth that our captivity doesn't stop God's activity. In other words, the things that hold us do not hold God and the situations and circumstances and, and shortcomings in our own lives that seem to limit us do not limit God that not only is God with you in your circumstance, but God is so much higher and so much bigger than what you're going through momentarily that you can trust God's plan eternally to make a difference in your life. Presently, today, we're going to take a look at the life of Daniel, specifically Daniel chapter two in Daniel's captivity was pretty obvious in the fact that he was actually held captive as a slave. He was removed from his home country, placed in, in exile to an area where he had no money. He had no power. He had no family there where they spoke a different language and, and things were just different. And, and so if anyone felt completely boxed in and held in captivity by the world power at that time, Babylon, if anyone had reason to give up or to give in, it would have been Daniel. But we're gonna see in here that Daniel's captivity did not limit or stop God's activity. And that the same attitude that Daniel had through these trials and tribulations is an attitude that you and I can take with us through the battles and through the struggles and the things that hold us captive there is II I tend to be a Bible nerd and love going deeper. And, and so for those who love kind of the context and background of passages, I wanted to share this thing briefly with you that if you study literature in general, uh the structure of the book of Daniel is really cool, it really is. And so most of the Old Testament is written in Hebrew. But chapters two through seven in the book of Daniel is actually written in Aramaic, which was the language more common in that time. And it actually gives a parallel structure. And so in chapter two, that's what we're gonna focus on today. In chapter two, we see Daniel's gonna interpret a dream of a king or for a king. And that dream involves four earthly kingdoms and then God's kingdom. And then next week, we're gonna hear a story about three guys in a fire and a story of courage and faithfulness. And that's chapter three. Then in chapters four and five are two separate examples of where God humbles an earthly king. Then in Daniel chapter six, we see the actual story of Daniel in the lion's den, another story of courage and faithfulness. And then in Daniel seven, Daniel himself receives a dream that again is about four earthly kingdoms and God's kingdom. And so it just kind of a cool set up if you like that if you don't like all that background stuff, that's OK, we're gonna get to the story, but we're gonna zoom in on chapter two. But understand that chapter two is a part of a larger story. And so here's what happens. King Nebuchadnezzar has this dream and he doesn't like it. And so he wants somebody to interpret the dream, but he says, you know what, I pay these guys and I threaten their lives. So they're just gonna make something up if I tell them the dream and tell me what it means. And so I want to really know if they know what they're talking about. And so I'm not even gonna give them the dream. I'm gonna tell them that they have to tell me what I dreamed and then tell me what it means. It's kind of a similar feeling maybe I have if like, I feel like psychics didn't make appointments, you know, I feel like I should be able to walk into a psychic place and be like, hey, I'm here. Do you have me in? And if they don't have me written down, then I walk out, right? Like you should know, right? It's kind of like when I, I saw a news story one time about how a psychic business went into bankruptcy. I'm like, shouldn't they have seen that coming? But um but here's this thing. And so he says, you know what, I'm the king, I can say what I want and, and he is temperamental and he is the definition of a hothead and his punishments and rewards are extreme. But he is the most powerful person in the entire world. So what he says goes and so he says that I'm not, this is not an exaggeration. I let me just read a couple of verses to you. Daniel chapter two, verse five and six, the king who's tormented by this dream. He speaks to his wise men, his enchanters and magicians. He says, and the king answered and said to the Chaldeans. The word for me is firm. If you do not make known to me, the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb and your house shall be laid in ruins. Seems a little much, but he's the king. He can do what he wants. I mean. So basically, hey, if you get the dream wrong, I will kill you, kill your family, destroy your land and you will never have a future. That's pretty I stakes. He says, but verse six, but if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me, gifts and rewards in great honor. Therefore, show me the dream. So if you get it wrong, I will kill you, your family and take everything that you've ever owned. But if you get it right here's a prize. So the stakes are really high and the people that encircled around the king obviously don't want to get it wrong. And so one of them actually says this back to him in verse 11. He says, uh the, the, the thing that the, the thing is king, the thing is uh that the king asked, it's difficult and no one can show it to the king except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh. There's, they go to them and it's pretty reasonable, in my opinion. How can we tell you what you dreamed? Right? If maybe you've had the spouse conversation, have you ever been mad at your spouse for something they did in a dream? You wake up and like, how could you? Right? Here's the thing is like, they're like, King, how can we tell you your dream and then interpret it like no one can do that. So then the king and his calm demeanor said, OK, then I will kill all of you. And what good are you to me? And I'll just get a whole new set of wise guys and magicians and like, oh, ok, what are we gonna do? And so they're panicking, they're trying to decide if they're going to flee or what they're going to do. And so then one of them remembers, wait a second. There is this Hebrew kid, this Hebrew slave who already stood up once to the king that was Daniel chapter one. Maybe he can know something. And so they approach Daniel and says it, it's, it's almost almost like the original Star Wars when Princess Leia conveys that message and it's help me, Obi Wan Kenobi, you're our only hope. And so they have R two D two approaches Daniel. It was in the Bible. No, just kidding. And so uh they go to Daniel like Daniel help us. Like if you, if you have a God that we don't know about, maybe they, maybe he, maybe you can interpret this thing, but if you get this wrong, we're all gonna die. So the stakes could not be higher. Here is Daniel in captivity. Everything's taken from him and now his own life is about to be threatened. So how does he respond? Well, he responds with two things that then still transfers to principles we can apply today. Number one, Daniel responds with humility. He responds with humility and then number two, he responds with hope. Daniel had every reason to give up or to give in. He was completely boxed in and, and you could see where he would ask God, where are you in this? Or maybe he would just stop believing in God because everything was taken away from him. And this pagan king is, has all the power and now I'm gonna die. But actually Jan says, no, I'm right where God needs me to be. So Daniel chapter two verse 14, the first part it says, then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Ario, that's his boss. If you will even His response is, is gentle and humble with prudence and discretion. He didn't try to go all superhero like I can interpret the dream. He says, hey, let me pray to my God. Then he goes back to his friends, Shadrack Misk and a bego who you're going to hear about next week. He says, guys, we gotta pray and God's gotta move because if God doesn't move, we're all gonna die. But when you realize that God is all you have, you start to believe that God is all you need. And that even in captivity, you understand that what limits you does not limit God and what boxes you in does not box God in. And so they go to God and prayer and God answers his prayer. And that night, he receives a vision of what the dream is and what it means. And then he comes back to his friends and he prays this prayer. And I want you just to notice the tone because if you were about to die, if everything in your world was closing in and you are handed the key, you are given the way out, wouldn't you just kind of walk head held high, chest, puffed out. It's like, yeah, I'm pretty awesome. No one in the kingdom knows what I know, but he doesn't do that notice where he gives credit even in the toughest of trials here in verse 20. He says, Daniel answered and said, blessed be the name of God forever and ever to whom belong, wisdom and might for. He changes times and seasons. He removes kings and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. I want you to notice some of these words they're gonna come to play in the New Testament as well. He reveals deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness and that the light dwells with Him to you. O God of my fathers. I give thanks and praise for you have given me wisdom and might and have now made known to me what we ask of you for. You have made known to us the king's matter. Daniel praises God even in the middle of his problem and He thanks God for what He has done and what He is doing and his activity, even when He is held, personally held captive. Just in that prayer, I just read to you. We see that Daniel praises God for his eternity. He praises God for his omniscience, which means He's all knowing. He praises God for his omnipotence that God is all powerful. He praises God for sovereignty over the nations. He praises God for his gift of wisdom and knowledge and understanding. He praises God for his revelation and his and his personal knowledge. He praises God for his faithfulness to his people. He is in prison, potentially about to die. And He's praising God for His faithfulness. And then He praises God for answering prayer that if you are struggling, battling and walking through a storm right now, what you can hang on to more than anything is the humility that comes from understanding that we are not in control. And then the hope of belief that God is in control and that what engages you, what captivates you is not what holds God in. And that God is present with you in the storm. But also that God is the God of the storm, that He is bigger than any trial that you could ever face. And that God is someone to be praised and someone to be worshiped and someone to be be believed in that when his back was up against the wall, prayer was not his last resort. But the first offensive weapon that he went to prayer is not the only thing that we do, but it is the first thing that we do. And we see this in Daniel that he was humble and he was hopeful. And we see this even when he approaches the king, the most powerful person in the entire world and notice his response, Daniel answered the king and said, no wise men, enchanters, magicians or astrologers can show the king the mystery. I want you to hang on to that word mystery that the king has asked. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries and he has made known to the king to King Nebuchadnezzar. What will be in the latter of days? He approaches the king. He says, I can't tell you what's about to happen, but God can. And God this God told me and now I will share with you. So what is the dream kind of a unique dream? But it actually goes much bigger than the life of Daniel. See King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, but there was a statue made of multiple types of metal. So the head was made of gold, the arms and chest were made of silver, the stomach and thighs were made of bronze. And then the feet was a mixture of iron and clay. And then in the dream, this stone, this rock so large that was not cut by human hands comes in, destroys the statue. So it's rubble and then that rock in the dream becomes a mountain that no one can break that stands forever. So what that represents is actually the next 600 years in history. So the head represented Babylon, the ruling country of the world at that time. Well, soon after Babylon is actually defeated by the Meto Persians and the Persian empire that comes in and is represented by the silver. Now, Babylon, do you know where Babylon sits presently? It's modern day Iraq. And then do you know where the Persian nation is presently? His modern day Iran? Those are two peaceful nations, aren't they see the biblical story actually has implications for all of world history. And so the troubles we see today is actually still connected to the scripture today. And so actually soon after Nabu Kneir, it ultimately gets overthrown by the Persians and they come in and take over and after the Persians come, the Greeks and this little known figure Alexander, the great who comes in. And so they start to share this Greek language that we, we end up seeing most of the New Testaments written in because it becomes a common language throughout the modern world. When the Greeks get overthrown then and so that the Greeks are the bronze and then the Romans is that mixture of iron and clay. Well, all those empires get struck down by a rock, ask you who is the symbol of the rock in the New Testament? Jesus Christ. We actually see it in the prophet Isaiah as well. We see in there this imagery and we see it prophesized in Isaiah 814 Isaiah 2816 in the New Testament. We see this rock in Matthew 1618, Matthew 2142 mark 1210 and first Peter 27, just a couple of examples. And so there's this, this picture of a rock coming, destroying the earthly kingdoms and establishing God's eternal kingdom that no man shall take away. So he describes this dream to the Nebuchadnezzar. And so Nebuchadnezzar is blown away and how does he respond? He responds and he says, it says that the king Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel. And he commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. And the king answered and said to Daniel, truly, your God is God of gods and the Lord of Kings. And reveal of mysteries for you have been able to reveal to me this mystery. And then the king gave Daniel high honors with many great gifts and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon. And the chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. And Daniel made a request of the king said, hey king, uh 11 thing here and he appointed his friends Shadrack Meshack and a Bendigo over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel then remained in the king's court. So we have this story. Daniel is completely caged in. He's in captivity. His life is threatened. He prayerfully goes before the Lord with hope and with humility and God not only saves him, not only saves his friends, but in a sense, ultimately saves the people of Israel that were in captivity. Now, that's a great story. Here's the thing, God wasn't just working in Daniel's life. And in Daniel's story, have you heard the phrase that someone's playing checkers when someone else is playing chess? The idea there is that someone's just trying to make one jump or one move when someone is two moves, three moves four moves ahead. Here's the thing God is on an eternal timeline and God is playing eternal chess and galactic chess when people are focused in their little lives and in their little cages. And God says I am with you. That's the meaning of Emmanuel God with us. But I am so much bigger than your story. I am so much bigger than your box. I am so much bigger than your storm. How do I know this? So this story takes place around 600 BC. 400 years prior, there was a little shepherd boy who becomes a king. His name is David. He writes a series of Psalms. And in Psalm 118 verse 22 he writes this verse, he says, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. So we have this imagery of God establishing the cornerstone or keystone or rock that would be his kingdom. That's 1000 BC. Roughly 400 years later, 600 BC. We have this story about this dream where a Hebrew slave interprets for a king about a rock that's going to establish a kingdom that cannot be destroyed. Well, now we go into the story of Jesus and he's telling this parable in Luke chapter 20 of Parable, the wicked tenants. And it's not really a commonly preached upon parable because it's not a really happy story. And the story is this, there is an owner and some tenants and the tenants are misusing the property. And so the owner sends a representative in to say, hey, knock it off. And so they reject that representative, he sends another one, reject that one, sends another one rejects that one. And finally, the owner says, ok, I'm gonna send my son and they will listen to my son and turn from their evil ways. And so the owner sends the son to this land, will the evil tenants look at that and say, wait a second, this is the owner's son. If we kill him, he will not have inheritance and we can steal the land. And so they go and they kill the sun. You see how this ties to the gospel story, they kill the son and then it gets back to the owner and the owner says, I'm done with the evil and he comes in with wrath and with justice and destroys all that remains of the evil tenants. And so God at the end wins, the owner wins and that justice will be had and that evil will be wiped out. And the people listening to the story is like, that's not cozy. I want faith like a mustard seed, you know, like be a good neighbor, not gonna wipe off evil from the face of the earth and you're evil. Like that's not, that's not typically a coffee cup verse, right? Like that's not a crocheted verse. Luke 20 is not typically, you know, Instagrammed really? You know what I'm saying with a sunset, God will wipe out the evil. Um but Jesus comes in after the people say, no, no. Whoa whoa, why would this happen? And then Jesus quotes Psalm 118 and Daniel two. And he says, in here, he says, but he looked directly at them and said, what then is it that is written that the stone that the builders rejected actually becomes the cornerstone and that everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. And when it falls on anyone, it will crush him. Jesus is playing eternal and galactic chess when we are stuck in our own little cage and like God, are you here? He says, not only am I here, I am eternally past, I am present and eternity, future. I am alpha, I am Omega. I make kingdoms rise. I make kingdoms fall. Where is the Babylonian Empire today? Where is the Persian Empire today? The Greek Empire, the Roman Empire, these things that were seen as the most powerful people in the world. And God says, no, I'm going to establish a kingdom that is stronger, that is greater, that no one in this world can touch and that will last forever more. So the story in Daniel two is not just God saving a few Hebrew slaves but preparing the way for the coming of God's kingdom. What limits you, what limits us, what surrounds us with present difficulty does not and will not limit. God. Paul writes this in Ephesians chapter one verse 7 to 10. And I want you to notice the similarity in the verbiage between Ephesians one and Daniel two. He says in Him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace, which he laves upon us in all wisdom and insight, making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose, which is set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in Him. Things in heaven and things on earth are God. God is in control. Our God is sovereign, which means that God is present with you in your struggle. But He is so much bigger than any temporary difficulty that you're facing, that we can grab hold of this truth and be set free from the things that captivate us because Jesus and His preaching there to the Jews. And then eventually the message spreads to the gentiles. He's speaking to people primarily in captivity and he's not just speaking to their physical captivity, but their spiritual captivity. And I want you to notice what he actually says. Jesus Christ himself says in John chapter eight, and Jesus is speaking to people and he says to the Jews had believed Him that if you abide in my word, you truly are my disciples and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free and then a couple of verses later in verse 36 it says, and if the sun sets you free, you will be free in deed. We have a God that is with you in the trials that is with you in the struggle and in the storm. In the story of Daniel, we have this Hebrew slave who stood up to the most powerful person in the world and stood up and said, you are not in control goddess. And not only did God save Daniel and his friends and the people of Israel. In that moment in that dream, he gave us a foreshadow. He gave the people a foreshadow that these earthly kingdoms, the rise and fall of nations that these circumstances that happened are not happening by chance, but controlled by a God who loves you. And we have a God. We have a kingdom that came in the name of Jesus that the earth cannot take away from you that Satan cannot take away from you and that we have a savior who comes to set captives free. We have a God who loves you who loves you so much that he came and died on the cross and rose again, defeating death itself so that you can be set free from the things that hold you captive, that that addiction, that trial, that issue, that is boxing you in, that is limiting you is nothing in the hands of God that we have freedom that comes from believing in his name that saved a slave that saved people in captivity. But even in that instance was saying, hey, I'm not only here in this moment, I'm here in every moment, I'm there tomorrow and the day after and the day after and I am in control, which means that we can walk through each day with humility and with hope because we have a God whose kingdom cannot be taken away. Amen. And this is the God that we pray to. This is the God that sets captives free. Will you pray to Him with me right now? Dear God. 2600 years ago, you gave insight to a Hebrew slave who then stood up to Babylonian king and told him your kingdom will not last but God's will. And he was obedient and he was faithful. And even when everything seemed like it was against him, he had confidence and he had courage that you were in control. And then of God, now we humbly come before you and we receive this hope. And that hope is through your son Jesus Christ, who is our cornerstone, who is our rock. We believe in you as Lord, we believe in you as savior. We believe that you have come to set the captives free. We ask that you set us free this morning, we ask that you'd be with us even in our trials because we know that even in our captivity, that doesn't stop your activity. And so we trust you with today, tomorrow and the day after we love you God, it's in your sense and we pray.