So in Vista or Windows 7 , just [...]]]> Did you always open Windows Task Manager in Windows XP using Alt + Ctrl + Del ? After moving to Windows Vista and Windows 7 you are taken to a screen where you have options like "Lock this computer", "Switch User", "Log Off", "Change Password", and "Start Task Manager.

So in Vista or Windows 7 , just use Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager directly!

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do [...]]]> Mission cannot just be about living a good life and doing good deeds.  It has to be that; but it also has to be about taking the initiative to explain the gospel. 

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.1 Peter 3:15-16

Penn Jillette (Penn from Penn and Teller, the magicians who show you how they do their tricks) is a well known atheist who not only advocates his beliefs but does so unapologetically (see this atheistblogger.com post).

So what do you suppose would happen if a Christian tried to share something of the Christian faith with him? This is what he had to say about a recent experience – which is well worth watching:

The first says that the Christian does not continued to sin, and the second that a Christian cannot go on sinning.

But in 1:8,10, John described those who deny that they are sinners by nature and by practice as deceiving themselves and calling God a liar; and in 2:1, although he [...]]]> John makes two searching statements.

The first says that the Christian does not continued to sin, and the second that a Christian cannot go on sinning.

But in 1:8,10, John described those who deny that they are sinners by nature and by practice as deceiving themselves and calling God a liar; and in 2:1, although he said he was writing ‘so that you will not sin’, he explicitly added that ‘if anybody does sin’ (evidently a possibility to be considered), gracious provision has been made for his forgiveness. It is plain: John is not denying the possibility of sin in the Christian’s life.

Gnosticism led its adherents to different conclusions. Some supposed that their possession of this hidden truth had made them perfect; others maintained that sin did not matter because it could not harm the enlightened. Both positions are morally perverse. The first is blind to sin and denies its existence; the second is indifferent to sin and denies its gravity.

To the first John declares the universality of sin, even in the Christian; to deny sin is to be a liar. To the second he declares the incompatibility of sin in the Christian; to commit sin is to be of the devil. It is in order to confound these particular views of his opponents that John states the Christian position in such categorical terms.

First, he says that the Christian who lives in Christ does not continue to sin (6a and 5:18)-, this is a present tense, indicating a settled character like that of ‘the devil’ who ‘has been sinning from the beginning’ (8).

The second statement is that he who has been born of God will not continue to do sin. Again, it is not the isolated act of sin which is envisaged, but the settled habit of it, indicated by the verb, to do or to practise, which is used of ‘doing’ sin in verses 4a, 8 and 9, of ‘doing’ lawlessness in verse 4b, and of ‘doing’ righteousness in 2:29; 3:7, 10a.

The third expression is that the Christian ‘cannot go on sinning’ where ‘to sin’ is a present, not an “it would have meant ‘he is not able to commit a sin’; the present infinitive, however, signifies ‘he is not able to sin habitually’.

THE TEST IS OF BEING CHILDREN OF GOD

How great this love God has not only ‘shown’ us, but actually lavished on us. For children of God is no mere title; it is a fact. God gives us this privileged designation only because that is what we are by his grace, whatever other people may think or say. The ‘children of God’ and the ‘world’ are so different from each other, that the world does not know us (cf. 1 Cor. 2:15-16). The reason for this is that it did not know Christ.. As his glory was veiled in flesh, so our ‘life is now hidden with Christ in God’ (Col. 3:3).

i. The hatred of Cain, and of the world (3:12-13)

With this mutual love which is commanded us, John immediately contrasts the behaviour of Cain. His hatred originated in the devil, the evil one, and resulted in murder, So we are not to be surprised if the world hates us. It is only to be expected that the wicked should continue to regard and treat the righteous as Cain regarded and treated his righteous brother Abel. Jesus warned us that it would be so (e.g. John 15:18—19, 25; 17:14), and by its hatred the world is simply giving evidence of its true spiritual condition which is ‘death’ (14). A similar instruction not to be surprised by the opposition and persecution of the world is given in 1 Peter 4:12 ff.

2. The love of Christ, and of the church (1:14-18)

Let the world hate; we do not hate, but love. Moreover, the fact that we love our brothers gives us a good ground for certainty that we possess eternal life. John associates himself with his readers in this glorious affirmation. We know (‘we know as a fact") that we have passed from death to life.

Great stress is laid in the New Testament on love as the pre-eminent Christian virtue, the first-fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), the sign of the reality of faith (Gal. 5:6) and the greatest of the three abiding Christian graces, which never ends and without which we are ‘nothing’ (1 Cor. 13:2, 8, 13).

The essence of love is self-sacrifice, which has been perfectly manifested in Christ and should characterize the lives of his followers also. But the self-sacrifice of Christ is not just a revelation of love to be admired; it is an example to copy. We ought (i.e. we should be willing) to lay down our lives for our brothers-, otherwise our profession to love them is an empty boast.

We ‘ought’ to do this, as a definite Christian obligation, because we belong to Christ, just as we ‘ought’ to follow his example in all things and walk even as he walked (2:6), and just as, if God’s love for us is so great, we ‘ought’ also to love one another (4:11).

True love is revealed not only in the supreme sacrifice; it is expressed in all lesser giving. Not many of us are called to lay down our lives in some deed of heroism, but we constantly have the much more prosaic opportunity to share our possessions with those in need (cf. Jas 2:15-16).

Love is ‘the willingness to surrender that which has value for our own life, to enrich the life of another’ (Dodd).

Loving everybody in general may i be an excuse for loving nobody in particular’ (Lewis). So John writes that if anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need, he is in debt to him.

The heretics were boasting about their new teaching; John’s appeal here, as in 1:5, is to the original, apostolic gospel, which was also public knowledge in contrast to the private and secret enlightenment which the false teachers claimed. His readers will be safe if they hold fast to the message which they heard, and that publicly and openly, from the beginning.

The truth about the person of Jesus Christ and about Christian conduct is unalterable. In both doctrine and ethics we must go right back to the beginning and enquire what the apostles originally taught and their first converts both had. An essential part of that message was that we should love one another (cf. 3:2 3; 4:7; 11-12; 2 John 5; John 13:34; 15:12,17).

BELIEVE RIGHT THINGS: BEHAVE RIGHT WAY

The proof of being a Christian is not merely orthodoxy, but righteous conduct as well.

1. Christ’s future coming (2:28 – 3:3)

People will react to his coming in one of two ways. Some will ‘have confidence’; others will ‘shrink from him in shame’. In this letter, as in the letter to the Hebrews (4:16; 10:19), the word indicates the confidence with which the Christian may draw near to God in prayer now (3:21; 5:14), at the parousia (2:28) and on the judgment day (4:17). It is only if we continue in him today, however, that we shall be confident before him and not shrink from him on the last day.

BELIEVE THE RIGHT THINGS

We does not know the precise character of this inheritance. John confesses that the exact state and condition of the redeemed in heaven had not been revealed to him. This being so, it is idle and sinful to speculate or to pry into things which God has not been pleased to make known.

It will appear only when he will appear. The two revelations, of Christ and of our final state, will be made simultaneously. For then we shall ‘share in his glory’ (Rom. 8:17; cf. Col. 3:4).

This does not mean, however, that we know nothing about our future state. We do know this, that when he appears, we shall he like him, for we shall see him as he is. The sequence is clear. First, he will appear; in consequence, we will see him as he is; and so we shall be like him. (For references to ‘seeing’ God or Christ in heaven cf. Matt. 5:8; John 17:24; 1 Cor. 13:12; 2 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 12:14; 1 Pet. 1:8; Rev. 1:7; 22:4).

This is all John knows about our final, heavenly state. Paul concentrates in his letters on the truth that in heaven we shall be ‘with Christ’ (2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 4:17; cf. Luke 23:43; John 14:3; 17:24). It is enough for us to know that on the last day and through eternity we shall be both with Christ and like Christ; for the fuller revelation of what we are going to be we are content to wait.

BEHAVE THE RIGHT WAY
So, Christians who fix their hope (their confident expectation) upon Christ’s return, will purify themselves.  Purity is primarily ‘freedom from moral stain’. Only the blood of Christ can cleanse us from the stain and guilt of sin (1:7), but we have a part to play in purifying ourselves from its power (cf. 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Tim. 5:22; Jas 4:8; 1 Pet. 1:22).

2. Christ’s past appearing (1:4-10)

The purpose of his first coming which was to remove sins and to destroy the works of the devil. To continue in sin is thus shown to be in complete contradiction to the whole purpose of Christ’s first appearing.

BELIEVE THE RIGHT THINGS
i. The nature of sin: lawlessness (3:4-7)

The heretics’ arrogant assumption was that they constituted an initiated elite set apart from the rank and file. John will admit no such distinction. A dual standard of morality is quite foreign to the Christian religion. The gospel, with its moral implications, concerns all people, not just some.

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.

Do not let anyone lead you astray. The false teachers, tools of Satan the arch-deceiver, were seeking to lead them astray, not only theologically (2:26) but morally as well. So let them be on their guard. He who does what is right r righteous, just as he is righteous.

BEHAVE THE RIGHT WAY

ii. The origin of sin: the devil

He who does what is sinful is of the devil. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s works. Morally, his work is enticement to sin; physically, the infliction of disease; intellectually, seduction into error. He still assaults our soul, body and mind in three ways; and Christ came to destroy his works. The devil is still busy doing his wicked works, but he has been defeated, and in Christ we can escape from his tyranny.

If, then, the whole purpose of Christ’s first appearing was to remove sins and to undo the works of the devil, Christians must not compromise with either sin or the devil, or they will find themselves fighting against Christ. If the first step to holiness is to recognize the sinfulness of sin, both in its essence as lawlessness and in its diabolical origin, the second step is to see its absolute incompatibility with Christ in his sinless person and saving work. The more clearly we grasp these facts, the more incongruous will sin appear and the more determined we shall be to be rid of it.

1. A Gigantic Party

The tithe was not for running the temple (or for that matter, therefore, the church). It was for partying!

Everybody was invited to the party, from widows who hadn’t had a fun night out for a year, to poor kids who couldn’t have come up with ticket money to whatever was the [...]]]> Deuteronomy 14:22-29

1. A Gigantic Party

The tithe was not for running the temple (or for that matter, therefore, the church). It was for partying!

Everybody was invited to the party, from widows who hadn’t had a fun night out for a year, to poor kids who couldn’t have come up with ticket money to whatever was the ancient equivalent of Disneyland; everyone from prostitutes to tax collectors were invited. So what if their reputations were questionable? When it’s a really good party, you forget all about that.

2. Party-poopers leave the room now

Jesus has always been a bit of an embarrassment to the piously religious. (Matt. 11:6). Those pharisaical critics of Jesus were then, as they are now, people who can find fault, no matter what. (John 12:1-8).  Jesus praised what Mary had done and declared that wherever the gospel would be preached, the story of her gloriously extravagant expression of love would be told.

God never  planned for fun and celebration to be crowded out of our lives. To those who are upset with the declaration that the Kingdom of God is a party, I would offer this reminder: Jesus performed His first miracle at a wedding reception (John 2:1-11). When it looked like the host was running out of wine, Jesus turned some water into wine, just to keep the party going.

3. www.party-aware.org

But the tithe also sets limits on what we are allowed to spend on partying! The other 90 percent of our earnings is to be used prayerfully in service to God, to family, and to those in need outside the family (Matt. 6:10).

PRINCIPLE ONE

Jesus clearly commanded, and therefore it is not an option, that we have to give to God (Matt 22:21): "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s."

PRINCIPLE TWO

Giving is proportionate to the degree that God blesses a person without an obligatory figure being mentioned (1 Cor 16:1-2).

PRINCIPLE THREE

Giving is from the heart. In fact giving should be more appropriately termed free will offerings in the context of the New Testament Church for Paul commanded us to give from our heart. If the amount is a fixed one, there will be no need to purpose in one’s heart anymore!! (2 Cor 9:7).

“What proportion of income is right to give will depend on individual circumstances, but 10% of take-home pay is a Biblical starting point for consideration. For some on lower incomes and/or with high commitments, that level is not possible, but for others it may be exceeded. “

4. Party now and party later

It has been planned by God to be a foretaste of what He has in mind for all of us when His Kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven. Life may be hard. It may be full of troubles. But in the midst of it all, God tells us to set aside a tithe and to throw a party which will remind us of what God has in store for us(Matt. 22:2-4; Rev. 19:9). 

The Kingdom is now and yet to come. The Kingdom of God with all its joyful celebration is still in the future. It will not fully come until a certain trumpet is sounded to herald the return of the Lord of the party, who then will preside over the festivities as the ultimate Master of Ceremonies. But what is to come is to be enjoyed now in part.  (Heb. 12:2; Rom. 8:16-18; 2 Cor. 4:16-18; John 15:11).

1.  All government is insecure: "So that the king would suffer no loss" (v. 2). The trust of public office was used to advance personal interests. But , "Daniel distinguished himself" {v. 3). He was different not only from the satraps but also from the other governors "because an excellent spirit was in him" [...]]]> Kingdom against Kingdom

1.  All government is insecure: "So that the king would suffer no loss" (v. 2). The trust of public office was used to advance personal interests. But , "Daniel distinguished himself" {v. 3). He was different not only from the satraps but also from the other governors "because an excellent spirit was in him" (v. 3).

2. The perpetual conflict of the kingdom of darkness against the kingdom of light, the kingdom of God.  The unchangeable law of the Medes and the Persians was used by devious men to attempt to overcome the laws of God’s kingdom by which the righteous are ultimately vindicated

Daniel is a man of "excellent spirit" (v 3)? It has been said that few great men finish well. That was certainly not so in Daniel’s case. Psalm 92:12-15.  Temptations to compromise are never isolated incidents in our spiritual life but are part of a larger strategy of Satan against us (Luke 4:13; 22:28; 2 Cor. 2:11).  Daniel’s experience runs counter to what we often assume is characteristic of Christian experience. In this respect it is like Christ’s. His greatest test came toward the end of His spiritual pil­grimage, not at its beginning.

3.  Opposition to God will always include self-deceit. It is rooted in the lie that has been exchanged for the truth of God (Rom. 1:25). Darius fell to the temptation and "signed the written decree" (v. 9). He too exchanged the truth of God for the lie. That lie was the first one audibly uttered after the world’s creation: "You will be like God" (Gen. 3:5).

4. All conflict in our life is the expression of the greater conflict between the kingdoms of darkness and light. Daniel 7-12; 1 Pet. 5:8.

Faithful unto Death

The forces of hell are at work here!  How would we feel if prayer were banned for 30 days?

The lifestyle of the kingdom of God is contrasted once more with the kingdom of darkness. Daniel: He was a man of prayer.

1.  It was his custom to pray "with his windows open toward Jerusalem" (v 10).

2.  Daniel’s prayer life was characterized by discipline and regu­larity. (v 16).

3.  Daniel’s praying included both thanksgiving and interces­sion (v 10-11).

There is a uncanny resemblance to an event centuries later (Matt. 26:59-60). Their efforts to pre­vent the Resurrection were in vain—just as were the efforts of the governors and satraps of Babylon to prevent the "resurrection" of Daniel from the den of lions. Work done for the kingdom of God, however, is never in vain in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58).

Hope in the Pit

The early church saw in this a foretaste of the resurrection of Christ. Daniel experienced nothing less than the powers of the age to  come (Heb. 6:5). That is why (as in 3:27) Daniel’s deliverance is so wonderfully complete: "No injury whatever was found on him, because he believed in his God" (v 23). The power of God that ensured that not a bone of Christ’s body was broken guarded Daniel, too, in order that he would be a powerful testimony to the coming Saviour. A servant of God is immortal until the work has been completed.

“The deliverance of Eve’s seed is always accompanied by the bruising of the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). Christ delivers those who were subject to a lifelong fear of death by destroying the one who had the power of death (Heb. 2:14-15). The dark side to Daniel’s deliverance is the judgment that falls on those who had sought to destroy the kingdom of God. They and their entire families, even wives and children, were cast into the den of lions and immediately attacked and devoured. Herodotus informs us that such punishment of entire families was meted out according to Persian law. It was a terrible end. Their gods were unable to deliver them from the lions, whereas Daniel’s God had delivered him. The One who was in Daniel was stronger than the one who was in the world (cf. 1 John 4:4).”

Daniel’s God: He is the "living God". He is a "steadfast" God. His kingdom is indestructible and "shall endure to the end,". The kingdom of God "cannot be shaken" (Heb. 12:28). Daniel’s God is a “saving God” (v 28).

Cell Outline

Read Daniel 6:1-28

More than any time in history there seems to be a famine of character. We need examples of people who say what they believe and then live it out. Character is about holding convictions that honour God and letting those deep beliefs shape all we say and do … even when no one is watching! True character is about staying true to what we believe even when there are consequences.

1. What do you learn about Daniel’s character, lifestyle, and I faith as you read this chapter?

2. What do you learn about the character and faith of Darius?

3. In v 1-9, the political leaders first tried to find a flaw in Daniel’s character. What did their research turn up? When attacking Daniel’s character did not work, how did they use the strength of his character against him?

4. What are some of the cultural trends and norms that can keep us from living with godly character?

6. Describe someone you have known who exemplifies consistent, godly character in every aspect of their life. How has their example inspired you?

Daniel loved God. His faith was real and deep. By chapter 6, he has been a political exile in Babylon for about sixty-five years! No longer a young man refusing to eat rich food from Nebuchadnezzar’s table, he is now well into his seventies or older. Daniel has developed life disciplines and practices that grow out of a heart that is connected to his God, so three times a day he gets on his knees to pray. You can almost hear his old joints cracking as he lowers his elderly frame to the ground. His window is always open as he faces toward Jerusalem, the childhood home he has dreamed about for almost seven decades. This is his habit… and everybody knows it!

7. Thinking about Daniel 6:10-15, name some disciplines or habits of faith that help you express your love and devotion to Jesus.

8. What is a spiritual discipline you have wanted to develop, but it seems difficult to get it going, or keep it going, in your life?

9. Next term, how might your cell group become a place of prayer, encouragement, and accountability that would propel you forward in developing this discipline of devotion?

“It is better for me to perish and obtain Jesus Christ than to rule over the ends of the earth. Let me win through to the light; that done I shall be complete. Let me suffer as my Lord suffered. “
Ignatius of Antioch, killed by wild beasts in 107 AD

“This is the end, but for me it is the beginning of life”.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, executed in a Nazi death camp

10. How did Daniel’s witness, through actions and words, impact Darius (Daniel 6:16-28)?

Daniel was trapped by a deceitful plan hatched by work colleagues, other administrators whom he had surpassed in authority. Describe ways people today might suffer persecution or personal attacks if they hold to their Christian faith without compromise.

· In a home that does not embrace the Christian faith

· In the workplace

· At school or college

· In a community setting

11. What steps can a follower of Jesus take to stand strong and be a witness in times of persecution and pressure?

If we have vision to [1] see our own churches grow and above all to [2] grow in influence as agents of community transformation, then these are the two things which need to become our consuming passions. It’s the second one [...]]]> I’m challenged by what Ian Parkinson writes about leadership development in the context of transforming communities:

If we have vision to [1] see our own churches grow and above all to [2] grow in influence as agents of community transformation, then these are the two things which need to become our consuming passions. It’s the second one we often find it easiest to neglect, usually because it is time-consuming and costly, because the return on the investment of our time and energies is not immediate and because it gets pushed to one side by more urgent, though less strategic, demands.

On the back of my study door, deliberately printed in very large type so I have to read it as the last thing I do as I leave the room, I have fixed these words from Martin Robinson’s book ‘Invading Secular Space’:

“It is an inviolable rule; you can expand and extend the Gospel only as far as you prepare others to take the responsibility with you.”

Extending the scope of the influence of the Kingdom is largely determined by how serious we are about raising up others. This is exactly what Jesus did of course.

Parkinson goes on to outline four principles from Jesus’ ministry in raising up others:

1. He set before them a vision of what they might become

His initial invitation to the fishermen was not vague nor was it qualified. In language they would instantly understand he sows in their hearts and minds a vision of becoming significant in the purposes of God, of catching not fish but people for God. What’s more, implicit in the invitation is a promise that he would make them more than they could ever be if left to their own devices.

Developing others begins by allowing God to let us see people through his eyes, and thus to discern those whom he is specifically calling. He might well surprise us as he is far better than we are at identifying leadership potential! We should especially be on the lookout for those who instantly respond with excitement when they have imparted to them a vision for the Kingdom of God. We need to pour fuel onto the flame of such enthusiasm and we need always to set before such people the hope of what they might become in the hands of Jesus and in the power of His Spirit.

2. He let them see ministry taking place

For many years, I have always refused to take on any new ministry personally without first identifying someone else who will accompany me in it and who might, in due course, take over responsibility for it from me. I want to expose as many people as possible to the realities of ministry in the power of the Spirit and to whet their own appetite for involvement. From the very beginning, the newly-called disciples of Jesus journey with him and have their minds blown away as they see the realities of the Kingdom of God. It seems to me that we need a very good reason indeed to engage in any ministry responsibility completely on our own; we should always be seeking to take someone along with us and increasingly give away to them responsibility for such ministry.

3. He reflected with them on what they had seen

Jesus is frequently reported in the Gospels as spending time alone with his inner circle, and often is called upon to explain and interpret the things they have seen. One of the most valuable things we can do as leaders is give time to reflect with emerging leaders on what they have witnessed and on what they have done (helping them develop strengths and work through weaknesses).

4. He released them into ministry

… Jesus took [enormous risk] in stepping back and allowing a group of untried, though enthusiastic, novices to go out in his place. I imagine they fouled up from time to time, and they certainly were not the finished article. Nevertheless, overnight Jesus’ ministry was multiplied six fold, and this unpromising band of nobodies went on to kick-start the greatest spiritual revolution the world has ever seen, overwhelming the mighty Roman Empire within the space of a few generations.

Rita (played by Julie Walters) is a [...]]]> As I preach through Daniel, one of the overarching themes, of course, is that of hope in the face of opposition and persecution. Not hope in anything, but hope in a God who is ultimately in control and will eventual win.  As Simon Ponsonby recalls from the film Educating Rita:

Rita (played by Julie Walters) is a hairdresser by day and an Open University pupil by night, seeking to create a better future for herself. Talking to the English tutor Dr. Frank Bryant (played by Michael Caine), she explains why she wants to study, describing a family night out at the pub: "I did join in the singing but when I turned around, me mother had stopped singing and she was crying. I said, ‘Why are you crying mother?’ and she said, ‘There must be better songs to sing than these.’ And I thought, ‘Yeah, that’s what I’m trying to do—sing a better song.’"

If we do the work of the Kingdom without the hope of the Kingdom – a hope that “The Lamb Wins” – we are simply undertaking a form of spiritualised social care.  Undertaking good works, even those which reflect the kingdom. are not an alternative to the work of the kingdom with its hope in the future.  Which is why I read Daniel 2:44-45

"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces: "The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy."

So just some thoughts about what happens when hope drops out:

1. “The Kingdom” comes to mean anything and everything. 
No longer rooted in the history of Israel and its fulfilment in Christ, the Kingdom can be applied as a concept to any number of activities that one deems qualifies as God’s ‘ethic’ for bringing justice into the world. There is a long history of such “ Kingdom abuse.” Separated from the eschatological fulfilment of this Kingdom in Jesus Christ, the Kingdom can become what David Fitch calls:

“just another Signifier that distracts us from God’s justice as opposed to building a politic of God’s justice and mission in and among our everyday lives.Indeed, it can become the means of another form of ideological complicity as we casually associate “the Kingdom” with various causes without discerning whether this is of Christ and His Kingdom.

2 “The Kingdom” becomes a Cause.
We are tempted to take control of history when the Kingdom is separated from the certainty that God is working to bring it to completion in history in Christ:

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. (1 Cor 15:25-28)

As a result, the onus to bring in the Kingdom is shifted more onto what we do than what God is doing. It is only as we are confident of what God has in store for the world, that we can participate daily as his servants.  Only in practicing such a belief can Christians avoid taking on “the Kingdom” as another cause which we must fight for against those who disagree with us.

3. “The Kingdom” loses its “the already, but not yet” character
Hope says that something different still to come into the world. The Kingdom has “the already, but not yet” character of it. There is a tension: The Kingdom has come yet it is not yet completed. We are part of the new age, while continuing to live among the old. In it we are called to live under and witness to the Kingdom; Christ’s Lordship, his defeat of the powers, his victory over death, sin and evil. Something actually happened cosmically to the world in Jesus Christ yet it has not been fully manifested. If we lose this tension, we lose the sense of the Kingdom still to break in, and therefore the spiritual energy to engage in kingdom mission.

“There must be better songs to sing than these.”

1. What’s wrong The essence of sin is that "I make myself, in a host of ways, the centre of the universe."  Nebuchadnezzar is simply a macrocosmic version of the kind of situation everyone encounters from time to time. Individuals who have lived for themselves, built their own kingdoms, and have "made [...]]]>

1. What’s wrong
The essence of sin is that "I make myself, in a host of ways, the centre of the universe."  Nebuchadnezzar is simply a macrocosmic version of the kind of situation everyone encounters from time to time. Individuals who have lived for themselves, built their own kingdoms, and have "made it" will boast that they have accomplished so much because they did it "their" way. Yet in one terrible moment—a phone call, a letter, some words spoken by a doctor—the foundations may begin to tremble and the former securities begin to crumble.

There is a common theme in moments like this: God’s person, not the person of the world, is truly free and grows to full stature while the person of the world shrinks.

  1.  Insensitivity to God. "I have no one else like [Timothy], who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. ²¹For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ" (Phil 2:20-21).          

  2.  Disobedience of God (v6 and 17).  The theme of the kingdom of God is central to the entire Bible.  All men must come to know that "Heaven rules" and that it is God who decrees what comes to pass (Eph 1:11).

  3.  Living under the judgment of God.  Experiences of God’s Spirit are not necessarily indications of the presence of God’s grace (Matt 7:22-23). God regularly co-operates with our personalities in order to reveal Himself.

  4.  No mercy for others. The divine decree was not arbitrary. Nebuchadnezzar believed he was free,  in actual fact he was a slave to his sinful passions. That was the yoke he had to break (Gen. 27:40). He had little or no mercy to the poor. Remarkably, N was offered a ray of hope. There was a divine "perhaps".

“Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realising that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?  But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed (Rom 2:4-5).

2. Don’t wait
There was no sign of the punishment of God. Relieved, Nebuchadnezzar continued in his old ways. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night”. The day of the Lord did come.

“Unless the LORD builds the house, They labour in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.—Psalm 127:1

It is a tragic and pathetic scene; Superman has become Subman. The one who refused to honour God’s glory loses his own glory. Refusing to share what he has with the poor, he becomes poorer than the poor. He becomes outwardly what his heart had been spiritually and inwardly—bestial. Disorders of the mind are surely one of the saddest of all maladies in human experience. Sometimes these disorders appear to have a significant physical factor in their cause, and consequently physical means may be employed as part of the restorative process. Clearly there was a deep moral and spiritual significance in Nebuchadnezzar’s experience. His delusion that he was an animal is significant—the prophecy of his dream was thus fulfilled.

God’s word of judgment was fulfilled on Nebuchadnezzar; however, it was tempered with a promise of mercy: "seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses" (v 32).

3. Get right
Nebuchadnezzar’s sin is, of course, a life-size model of all sin, and the consequence of his guilt is equally a case study in the havoc sin wreaks in our lives—we are cast down from the glory for which we were created; we distort the image of the glory of God. Thus Nebuchadnezzar’s repentance and restoration to former glory is a vivid illustration of the benefits God bestows. He begins to restore his image to us; touches of His glory appear again; we  begin to function again as the royal children of God. Repentance, as Calvin says,

"is the true-turning of our life to God.  In a word, I interpret repentance as regeneration, whose sole end is to restore to us the image of God that has been disfigured and all but obliterated."

What was it that lay at the heart of repentance?

  1. He confesses the sovereignty of God. (v 34)

  2. He confesses the creatureliness of humankind. (v35)

  3. He confesses the truthfulness and righteousness of God (v37; 1 John 1:9).

  4. He confesses that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble (v37; Prov 3:34; 1 Pet 5:6; Psalm 18:25-27, 35, 46, 50)

Cell Outline

Read Daniel 4:4-18
1. What are some of the reasons people can feel self-secure, overconfident, and prideful in our world today?

2. When pride begins to creep into your heart and life, what is it that drives and grows this attitude?

Read Daniel 4:19-27

On a journey with his wife, the CEO of a huge corporation pulls their car into a service station to fill-up. When he returns from paying, he notices his wife engaged in an animated conversation with a service station attendant. It turns out that his wife had dated the attendant years ago when they were in school. After a moment of silence as they resume their trip, the CEO smugly says to his wife, "I’ll bet I know what you’re thinking. You’re pretty lucky that you married me, the CEO of a big corporation, and not a service station attendant." His wife says, "No, actually I was thinking if I had married him and not you, he’d be the CEO of a great corporation, and you’d be a service station attendant."

3. Name someone in your life who has a "Daniel" role of speaking the truth to you. How has God used this person to make you a stronger, more devoted follower of Christ?

4. Why is it so difficult to speak the truth to others when we see pride and sin growing in their lives?

5. Why is it important to press through these reasons and commit to be a Daniel to those we love?

Read Daniel 4:28-34

God’s plan A for Nebuchadnezzar and for each of us is simple … humble yourself. If we follow his plan, flee from pride, give him glory, and renounce our sinful ways, grace flows!

God’s plan B for Nebuchadnezzar and for us is much more painful. If we refuse to humble ourselves, God is perfectly able and willing to humble us. If we persist in prideful and arrogant rebellion, God can bring us down from our "high place."

6. What consequences did Nebuchadnezzar face because he refused to humble himself and ended up taking the plan B route?

7. How do a person’s responses to daily interruptions act as indicators of their levels of pride and humility?

8. What are some of the daily interruptions God typically sends your way and how do you tend to respond to them? How could you respond with a more humble spirit the next time one of these?

Read Daniel 4:1-3, 34-37

When Nebuchadnezzar finally hit bottom, he looked up and his sanity was restored. And when that happened, his immediate response was to praise God. What a striking picture.

9. What did Nebuchadnezzar learn about God through his experiences captured in this chapter?

10. In the times of life when you have chosen to humble yourself, or when God has lovingly humbled you, what have you learned about God? How have you seen humility lead to hope?