The Book of Daniel 4: 1-37

Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language that live in all the earth: "May your peace abound! It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me. How great are His signs and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom And His dominion is from generation to generation."... Then Daniel, whose name is Belteshazzar, was appalled for a while as his thoughts alarmed him. The king responded and said, 'Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation alarm you.' Belteshazzar replied, 'My lord, if only the dream applied to those who hate you and its interpretation to your adversaries!'... it is you, O king; for you have become great and grown strong, and your majesty has become great and reached to the sky and your dominion to the end of the earth... that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes... Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. The king reflected and said, 'Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?' While the word was in the king's mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you...' But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom endures from generation to generation... Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride. (Daniel 4:1-37, NASB)

Sermon Summary
On Sunday, Pastor Russell Johnson explored the complete arc of Daniel 4, beginning with NFL player Terrell Owens' famous quote "I love me some me" and showing how Nebuchadnezzar's pride led to his dramatic humbling. Pastor Russell emphasized Daniel's remarkable compassion for the king despite years of cruelty—"no 'us-versus-them' mentality here"—as he delivered the alarming interpretation with "radical candor" and offered wise counsel: "break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor." The sermon traced how twelve months later, as Nebuchadnezzar stood on his palace roof boasting "Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built," God's judgment fell immediately and he became like a beast for seven years "until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind." Pastor Russell unpacked how pride manifests not just in "self-exaltation, self-promotion, and self-justification" (Personal Reputation) but also in "false humility, self-condemnation, self-demotion" (Devalued Estimation), explaining that "pride is when we are only concerned with ourselves" whether lifting ourselves up or tearing ourselves down. The climax came when Nebuchadnezzar "raised my eyes toward heaven" and confessed "the Most High" with true humility, demonstrating "what saving faith looks like in the OT." Pastor Russell concluded with Walter Kaiser's story of Louis XIV's funeral where the preacher snuffed out the candle and proclaimed "Only God is great!"—reminding us "we are all a bunch of Nebuchadnezzar clones" needing to remember that "grace begins where pride ends."

1. What's a moment when you found yourself thinking like Nebuchadnezzar on his rooftop—taking credit for something and saying "Look what I have built by my mighty power"?
2. Pastor Russell noted Daniel's compassion for Nebuchadnezzar despite being his "political enemy" who had been cruel to him and his friends—showing "no 'us-versus-them' mentality." Who is hard for you to have compassion for right now, and what would it look like to speak truth to them with Daniel's combination of compassion and "radical candor"?
3. How does our understanding of the two sides of pride—Personal Reputation (self-exaltation, self-promotion, self-justification) and Devalued Estimation (false humility, self-condemnation, self-demotion)—help us recognize pride in areas where we thought we were being humble?
4. Pastor Russell said that after twelve months passed, Nebuchadnezzar "lulled himself into a false sense of security" thinking "consequences for sin won't follow me." Where in your life have you been lulled into thinking you have things under control without consequences?
5. The sermon emphasized that Nebuchadnezzar had to be humbled for seven years "until you recognize that the Most High is ruler." What does it mean to truly "recognize" God's rule versus just intellectually acknowledging it?
6. Pastor Russell noted that Daniel gave "vocational repentance" counsel—essentially "quit being a meany, be nice to people, look out for the poor." How does our faith in Christ call us to vocational repentance in how we treat people in our work, leadership, or daily interactions?
7. Pastor Russell concluded that "we are all a bunch of Nebuchadnezzar clones" and quoted "Only God is great! Only God is great!" as something "we need to go around muttering to ourselves." What specific area of your life needs you to shift from "look what I have built" to "only God is great" this week?
   
   

Extra Credit
Look up and read these passages about God humbling the proud and giving grace to the humble:
James 4:6 - But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Proverbs 16:18 - Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling.
Luke 14:11 - For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
1 Peter 5:5-6 - You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.

How do these passages expand our understanding that "grace begins where pride ends"? What common thread runs through all of them about God's pattern of opposing the proud but showing grace to those who humble themselves?