Gospel—R. Thonney
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With #17 on the hem sheet.
#17 Have you any room for Jesus, He who bore the load of sin as he knocks and asks admission Sinner, will you let him in?
Room for pleasure, room for business, but for Christ the crucified, not a place that he can enter in the heart for which he died. Have you any time for Jesus, as in grace, he calls again.
Oh, today is time accepted, tomorrow you may call in vain #17.
Are guests sing one more hymn #31 I will sing of my Redeemer.
And his wondrous love to me on the cruel cross he suffered from the curse to set me free.
I will.
Sing of my.
Redeemer and His wondrous, wondrous love to me.
On the.
Crow Crossy suffered from the.
Curse to set me free.
Single. Single.
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My reading.
With this bloody.
Purchase me.
On the cross.
I will raise my.
Name 1St and try out.
Flower all down.
All the way.
All the rain.
All over the stands.
Turn to Psalm 90 to begin with this evening.
Psalm 90.
We've been speaking about Moses today, and this Psalm was written by Moses.
Just like to take one verse out of this Psalm.
To begin the subject that's before me this evening.
Verse 3.
Thou turnest man to destruction.
And sayest return, ye children of men, maybe? This seems like a strange verse. Why does God turn men to destruction? It's because he wants them to turn to Him.
It has been interesting to me to see the reaction that has taken place in this country since God has allowed.
A good bit of destruction in New York City and in Washington, DC.
It has had something of that effect on people, they have realized.
That things down here are pretty flimsy. Nothing down here is certain. It is a feeble world that we live in. You might consider the United States the greatest power as far as military might and economic might are concerned, but I think we have seen that confidence in this country has been.
Severely shaken, and rightly so, There is only confidence in one.
And God turns men to destruction and then says.
Return, ye children of men. I'd like to.
Read a verse that was quoted last night in.
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Acts chapter 20 please.
Because this verse has impressed me increasingly in these last few months since the attack that took place in New York City.
Verse 21 of Acts chapter 20.
Testifying, Paul says, to the Jews and also to the Greeks.
Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Two things that are necessary for salvation #1 repentance toward God #2 faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. What saves the soul is faith.
In the Lord Jesus Christ it says clearly in Ephesians chapter 2 for by grace.
Are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves? It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
Faith is what saves the soul, but there is no salvation if there is no repentance. And that to me seems to be a tremendous message for this country that we live in. And tonight we want to speak individually to each person that sits in this room. I do not know how you stand before God in your soul, but as I do know what God says in His word, that it is a matter.
Of repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
To me it is amazing how God in his dealings with souls, has to so often bring them down to destruction. What an awful heap of rubble was left by that destruction that took place in New York City.
Was that necessary? God saw that it was necessary. Oh, how important to realize that God speaks in our day and that He has spoken and that He continues to speak. And it seems sad to me that because of the deafness in general to the Word of God, God has to use other means to get through to people.
Seems that in a measure he has gotten through in speaking the way he has done recently.
This last trip to South America.
There is a young brother.
In the meeting in Montero, Bolivia, where we used to live, you'll know him. His name is Wilfredo Montes. He was a young, young fella in the meeting there when we first went there in 1975, he was in the Sunday school. Nice young kid, didn't seem to be anything that bad about him.
He was never a rebellious type of a person, but.
It just didn't seem that things clicked with him. His father was in fellowship, and Wilfredo, in the course of time, came along in the steps of his father, it seemed. But then he wandered off.
And I talked to him and it was evident to me that something wasn't clicking there. He wondered. And in the course of time.
He joined up with a woman, had a couple children and it became evident that there was no divine life in Wilfredo.
Even though he didn't seem to be rebellious when 1 spoke to him.
Down there they have a different way of fishing.
And one time Wilfredo, at this juncture in his life, not.
Making any profession of faith in the Lord Jesus at all, even though he had been raised in a Christian home, decided to go fishing with his friends and the way they fish is they light a stick of dynamite and when it gets down to.
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Where they think they it might be the right time, they throw it into the water and the explosion of the dynamite stuns all the fish and they go downstream and pick up the fish as they.
Float to the surface and float on downstream.
Poor Wilfredo forgot to let it go in time and it blew off his right hand and his right eye.
He came to in the hospital and the doctors amputated what was left of his poor mangled hand and I he was brought at that time we were living in Cochabamba. He was brought up there so that they could try to save the other eye that was left and thankfully they were able to save it. The doctors were, but it was from that time that Wilfredo.
Got straight with the Lord. It's evident from that time forward what took place in that young man's soul. Was that awful thing necessary? If you get to know Wilfredo now, and knew him before, you know it was necessary to take place. Too bad to have to lose a hand and an eye.
But God turned him to destruction and said return. You children have been and Wilfredo returned, thank God. Why is it that thing so dramatic, so drastic, have to happen so often in life before we are willing to listen? You know why is because naturally we all have our own thoughts about God.
And about ourselves and they, if they're not formed, our thoughts are not formed by the word of God. They are wrong thoughts. And so God to get through to us in his mercy, in his grace, speaks loudly and says, return you children of men. And I want to emphasize this question of repentance toward God.
Go back to the 17th chapter of the book of Acts please. Paul is speaking to the Athenian people in Greece and he says at the end of his.
Discourse in verse 30.
The times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent, because he hath appointed a day in the which you will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
My desire tonight is to probe the conscience and hearts of those that are sitting here. I cannot see your heart. I cannot make a judgment, but this is what God's Word teaches and I want to probe. First of all, before we go into this, I want to say that the gospel is mainly an objective message about God's beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Savior of the world, the one that the Lord Jesus sent into this world to save sinners.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God is a God of love. God is a God of light. He knows every single detail of your life and mine, and still He loves with a love that is so great that He gave all that He had. His only begotten Son and the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to manifest, to declare who God really was. That God is light and that God is love everywhere.
He went in his life down here. He manifested those two things. He manifested what man was.
And at the same time, people did not feel repulsed by him. I marvel at it. So oftentimes when I speak to people about God, I know they feel repulsed by me. But the Lord Jesus came to that poor Samaritan woman who was living in very immoral life. She had lived with five husbands, and she was living with another man at that time when she met Jesus.
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And Jesus talked to her about the living water that he would give to satisfy the thirst of her heart, and she said.
Sir, give me this water that I thirst not nor have to come here and draw it out. And Jesus said to her, Go call your husband and come here.
And she said kind of 1/2 truth. She said I have no husband. Well, that was kind of half the truth. And Jesus said to her, you have well said I have no husband. You've had five husbands and the one you have now is not your husband. You said that truly. But I marvel at how she did not feel repulsed by him. She felt drawn. And she even went into the city afterwards and said to the men.
Perhaps some of the same men she had been living with, she said. Come see a man that told me all things that ever I did.
Is not this the Christ?
Oh, there was a poor woman who repented and who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. But repentance is so important. And it's because, as we've mentioned, the natural heart and mind that we have, the mindset that we have, thinks wrong thoughts about God, thinks wrong thoughts about who we are as well. And as was mentioned last night, repentance means a change of mind. It comes from the Word.
Pent That means to think. Repent means rethink. And I want to say if you're going away from God tonight, rethink your position. Repent. Without repentance, there is no salvation. And that's what is impressive to me because in this supposedly Christian country, there are a lot of people that are going along in their lives.
Doing all the sinning that would they would like to do, they accommodated in their minds, in their thoughts. This is not near as bad as some other people do out there. I don't see how God could ever judge me for this. It is evident by their way of thinking that there has never been any repentance. And for as much as they may say, I believe in Jesus.
There is no salvation without repentance. Absolutely none, very clearly.
We heard last night about the tower of Siloam that was built and that fell upon 18 people and killed them, and Jesus said those people that were killed weren't sinners above all the rest, He said if you do not likewise repent, you shall all likewise perish. Repentance is a prerequisite.
That is extremely important and I think, and this is where I want to probe for those of us, and I have to include myself in this, that had been brought up in Christian homes, We tend to think high thoughts of ourselves. We think I'm not that bad. I've never done that much bad stuff.
Let me tell you, dear young person, dear older one too, I had to repent. Yes. I never got off into The Dirty part of the world, but I had to repent. I had to rethink my thoughts. My thoughts were wrong.
You want to know what God says about me? I'm not that great a person.
Let me tell you read what God has to say about me over in Romans chapter 3.
Romans chapter 3 and verse 10.
Here's what God the sentence that God passes.
The human race.
As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are all together. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good.
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No, not one.
Doesn't that seem a little bit hard?
Doesn't that seem a little bit rigid? No one that does good, No one that's righteous. That was my thinking and I thought in my own way, I really don't fit that much in that picture.
God had to allow circumstances and a time of trouble in my soul until I came to repent and believe what God had to say. Yes, it is true. Looking at me, who's standing here, Absolutely not righteous, not having done good. Not one is there that has done good.
Their throat is an open sepulchre.
You think of the way people talk about God.
Talk about bad breath.
You shrink when they open their mouths and what comes out is a stench to God.
With their tongues have they used deceit. The poison of ASPs is under their lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. In the way of peace. Have they not known there is No Fear of God before their eyes?
This is the picture that God paints of me.
And I had to come to the point of recognizing, even though I felt that I wouldn't, according to my own judgment, my own estimation, that I really didn't fit into that picture. I had to accept God's word as true. That's faith, that's repentance. And I think that's so important for those of us who are brought up in so-called Christian homes.
Because we think we're all right and we have to have our thoughts changed about who we are. That's repentance.
I'd like to turn to two people in the scripture because we can always see.
In others, perhaps the working of God better than we can in ourselves. To two people, one who said he believed but never had repented.
And another who was brought in the sovereignty of God to repentance, true repentance, and evident faith in God.
Let's go to the book of Acts Chapter 8 for the first case.
We're going to talk about a man whose name was Simon. He was a sorcerer.
He was involved in witchcraft, pretty common in our day.
Let's read from verse five of chapter 8 of Acts. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ and to them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake. Hearing and seeing the miracles which he did for unclean spirits, crying with loud voices, came out of many that were possessed with them, and many taken with.
Palsies.
And that we're lame, we're healed. And there was great rejoicing in that city. But there was a certain man called Simon, which before time in that in the same city used sorcery and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one, to whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest saying This man is the great power of God. To him they had regard because that of a long time.
He had bewitched them with sorceries, and when they believed Philip preaching their things concerning the Kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
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Notice verse 13. Then Simon himself believed also, and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John, who, when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive.
The Holy Ghost, for as yet He was fallen upon none of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through the lane on of the apostles hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give power, that on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.
Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which you have spoken come upon me.
There is a man that professed to be some great one in the city of Samaria, and he had the admiration of a lot of people in that city, bewitching them and.
A greater power came to Samaria, the power of God in the gospel, Paul says. I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation, to everyone that believeth, to the Jew 1St and also to the Greek.
And so there were many saved in that city. There was great joy in that city.
Simon the Sorcerer was not able to keep his position of being a great one. He said I'd better join this movement that has come to Samaria. And so he came and he believed and he was baptized and I suppose it was noised about the city. Did you hear the news? Simon the Sorcerer has been baptized as well.
That something happened when Peter and John came down. Something happened that showed just where he was in his soul.
He offered the apostles money to be able to dispense the Holy Spirit like they were doing. And Peter immediately detects here's a man that never repented. He was a great one as a sorcerer. Now he wants to be a great one in the Church of God.
Both those things are wrong and Peter tells him in verse 22, repent. We never have any record that Simon the sorcerer repented. In fact he shows and what he says in verse 24 that he had no real faith in God. He said pray ye for me. He didn't even have prayer faith to pray for himself.
Oh, how solemn it is that there may be those who are passing amongst us.
And they think they're saved and they really aren't. How awful to wake up to that awful reality when the Lord comes from heaven to give that shout. And you sit there in your seat. All the rest who are believers are gone in one moment of time. And there you sit in your seat, knowing of a certainty that.
Judgment is going to fall on you and all its fury. I plead with you, if you have not repented and accepted God at His word, whether you understand it or not, God is true. There's one thing that we can do that God cannot do, and that is lie. And when He says something He is true. You can accept it with all confidence.
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Because God cannot lie. There's lots in this book that I don't understand.
There's lots in this book that doesn't seem reasonable to me, but I accept it because I know God to be true. Absolutely true.
So Simon the sorcerer, as far as we know today, is in a lost eternity. Oh, you say he was. He believed and he was baptized. No matter. He never repented. He is not saved. Isn't that solemn? When I see people arguing, defending their form of life and excusing their sins, I say.
I don't really know.
They say they are. I don't really know.
Let's go back to the other person that I am have in mind to speak about. It's in the book of Daniel. And this time we're going to talk about one of the mightiest monarchs that ever lived on planet Earth. His name was Nebuchadnezzar. Tremendous story of this king of Babylon.
He was a what scripture calls a king of kings. Interesting. He not only had power in this world Kingdom, it says he had power in the beasts of the field and of the fowls of the air. He had power over them. A special power that kings today don't have.
So he was a tremendous monarch. Nebuchadnezzar had come into contact with some of the people of God. He had invaded the land of Judah and had destroyed Jerusalem and taken the children, the young men that were there captive to Babylon to educate them in the wisdom and the knowledge of the Babylonians.
And in Chapter 2 of this book, we're not going to go to it.
Nebuchadnezzar had a dream.
And he says it went from him. Actually, I think it was really a test that he wanted to give to his wise men. He called for all his wise men to interpret the dream that he had had. And they said, okay, tell us your dream. And he says, no, I'm not going to tell you my dream. You tell me my dream that I dreamed and you tell me the interpretation of it. He acted like a despot that he was.
Pretty rigid demand.
And so he was so furious that he commanded all the wise men to be killed.
Said he ordered his captain of his guards to get all the wise men together to kill him, amongst those were for the Hebrew children, young men, I suppose at that time Daniel, his three friends, and Daniel requested of the captain of the guards a little time to be able to pray, And Daniel prayed, and God showed him.
The dream that Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed, and he also gave him the interpretation of that dream. It was a tremendous display of the power of God through Daniel and his friends. And at the end of chapter two, he falls down before Daniel to worship him, acknowledging he is God, is truly the right God. He was impressed, but that's all it was.
A passing impression. Maybe you have been impressed too by different things that is evident that God has done in this world. Passing impressions are not enough.
Chapter 3 Something else happened. Daniel doesn't appear in chapter 3, but his three friends do.
They're called Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and.
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Evidently, Nebuchadnezzar had never repented.
In acknowledging, as he did in the first chapter, the God of heaven, it was merely a passing impression, and he acknowledged it in an outward way. But there was no true repentance with Nebuchadnezzar, because in chapter three he raises up an idol.
And commands that all bow down and worship that idol.
Under penalty of death were the ones who would refuse to worship that idol.
So he gathers all his authorities, he want to unify the religion of that world in that day. And there was that image of gold in the plains of Babylon. And when all the musical instruments sounded, they were to bow down and worship.
When the time came, all bowed down in worship -3 three young men.
Would not bow down because they knew the law of God said never to make an image nor to bow down to an image.
And so they're called to appear before Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar, being the death spot that he was, was furious that anyone would dare to disobey him.
And the young men answered in a very appropriate way. They said, Our God, whom we serve is able to deliver us from thy hand, and if not, we will not bow down somebody mightier. The Nebuchadnezzar had commanded them not to bow down, and they were first of all obedient to the higher power.
They were not rebellious.
And Nebuchadnezzar and his fury commanded the oven to be heated 7 times hotter than it was normally heated.
And he commanded the most powerful men in his army to take those three men, to make sure they had all their clothes on, to bind them hand and foot and throw them into the furnace of fire, and they were thrown in.
And the heat was so hot that the soldiers in that army fell down dead.
And the three men that were thrown into the furnace, they fell down into the middle of the furnace, but only one thing burned on them was the ropes that had them bound. And they got up, and there they were walking in the middle of the fire, not 123 But as Nebuchadnezzar looks into that fire, that furnace of fire, he sees four men. And he's astounded because they're walking around as if there's nothing wrong with them.
And he comes close to the door of the furnace, and he says.
Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come forth and come hit her, and being obedient in the measure that they could be obedient to the King, they came right out and they looked them over and there was not even a hair of their head singed. There was not even the smell of fire on them.
And Nebuchadnezzar again, is so tremendously impressed.
This God has got to be the true God.
You know, it is impressive how we can be impressed at a moment's notice without having any real change in our hearts and souls. And there was no change, evidently, with Nebuchadnezzar. We come to chapter 4, and chapter 4 is written as a letter, interesting letter from Nebuchadnezzar the king, and I'd like to read a good part of it.
Nebuchadnezzar.
The King unto all people, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth.
Tonight to those who are in St. Louis, MO, United States of America.
Peace be multiplied unto you. I thought it good to show the signs and wonders that the high God hath wrought toward me. How great are his signs, how mighty are his wonders. His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation. I Nebuchadnezzar was at rest in my house.
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And flourishing in my palace, I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts upon my bed and the visions of my head troubled me. Therefore made IA decree to bring all the wise men of Babylon before me. They might make known unto me the interpretation of the dream.
Then came in the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers, and I told the dream before them. They did not make known the dream, make known unto me the interpretation thereof. But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name was Belty Shazzer, according to the name of my God, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods. And before him I told the dream Sane O Belt, a Shazzer, master of the magicians.
Because I know that the spirit of the holy Gods is in thee, and no secret trouble of thee. Tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen in the interpretations thereof. Thus were the visions of mine head in my bed. I saw and behold a tree in the midst of the earth.
And the height thereof was great, and the tree grew and was strong in the height thereof reached into the heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth. The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much. And then it was meat for all the beasts of the field, and the had shadow under it. And the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all the flesh was fed of it. I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold a watcher.
And an holy one came down from heaven. He cried aloud, and said thus.
Hew down the tree and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves and scatter his fruit.
Let the beast get away from under it, and the fouls from his branches. Nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass in the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts and the grass of the earth.
Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him.
And let seven times Passover Him. This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the Holy ones, to the intent, that the living may know that the most High rulers in the Kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.
And setteth up over it the basest of men. This dream I, Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now thou, old Belti Shazer, declare the interpretation thereof. For as much as all the wise men of my Kingdom were not able to make known unto me the interpretation, but thou art able.
For the spirit of the holy Gods is in thee tremendous challenge to Daniel.
You can just texture. What a solemn moment this must have been. Nebuchadnezzar and his palace, perhaps on his throne, telling Daniel the prophet his dream.
And it says in verse 19. Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was astonished. For one hour, for one whole hour, Daniel stood there silent. He realized the awful interpretation that was contained in that dream. And he realized that Nebuchadnezzar was such a death spot that he could have had him out and executed in a moment's notice.
He stands there for one whole hour, and it says his thoughts troubled him. The king spake and said, Belty Shazer, let not the dream or the interpretation thereof trouble thee. Belti Shazer answered and said, My Lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine enemies. The tree which thou sawest, which groon was strong, whose height reached unto the heavens.
And the sight thereof to all the earth whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much.
And then in it was meat for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation. It is thou, O King, that are grown and become strong, for thy greatness is grown and reaches unto heaven.
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And thy dominion to the end of the earth. And whereas the king sigh watcher, an unholy 1 Coming down from heaven.
And saying you down here the tree down, and destroy it, yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass in the tender grass of the field, and let it be wet with dew of heaven. Let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times passed over Passover him. This is the interpretation, O King, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my Lord the King.
That they shall Dr. thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the Kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots thy Kingdom, that shall be sure unto thee, after that thou shalt have known.
That the heavens do rule. Wherefore, O King, let my counsel, here's Daniels counsel to him be acceptable unto thee. Break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquity is by showing mercy to the poor, if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquility.
This was the message that Daniel got for Nebuchadnezzar.
Solemn message.
Verse 28. All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar at the end of 12 months. God waited.
A full year more in his face. God is not willing that any should perish. God's strange judge work is judgment. He does not want to judge, but he will judge if there is no repentance.
There is no question about it and we are getting close to that judgment day. It says at the end of 12 months he walked in the palace of the Kingdom of Babylon.
It's interesting to read the stories of the city of Babylon.
It was an immense city. I don't remember if I have the figures totally right, but it had walls around that city. In fact, it had double walls around that city. The outer main wall was a wall, if I remember right, 300 feet high and it extended for 22 miles on four sides. It was such a huge city and a huge wall, it was considered totally impregnable.
That city. So he walked in this city. You remember too, perhaps some of you that may have studied history, that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
So he's walking in the palace in the Kingdom of Babylon, verse 30, The king spake and said, notice, is not this great Babylon that I have built for the House of the Kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?
Nebuchadnezzar had eye trouble.
He was inflated. He thought he was really great. He was.
Great, But what is any one of us for, as great as we may be?
Compared to the God of the universe.
Absolutely, Man at his best state is all together vanity.
And that Nebuchadnezzar had never repented us, and if there was going to be any lasting blessing in his soul, it was necessary that he be brought to repentance. What happens now? While the word verse 31 was in the King's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken. The Kingdom is departed from the end. They shall Dr. thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts.
Of the field they shall make thee to eat grasses, oxen, and seven times shall Passover thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the Kingdom the men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will. The same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar, and he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagle's feathers, and his nails like birds claws.
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Kind of a frightful sight.
This man, he lost it, he lost his reason. And when men do not turn to God.
Do not give God His honor and His glory in a proper way. They become like beasts of the earth.
There he was out in the grass, eating grass like an ox.
The hairs grew like Eagles feathers, his fingernails grew like birds claws. I wouldn't want to meet up with that fella out in the dark, especially seven times passed over him and what happened?
Verse.
34 at the end of the day.
I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes into heaven.
And mine understanding returned unto me, and I blessed. Who did he bless? Did he bless himself? No, there's been a change, there's been repentance. With Nebuchadnezzar I bless the Most High, and I praise and honored him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion in his Kingdom from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as what?
Does he say? Does he figure as someone great now? No, as nothing before him. He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
At the same time my reason returned unto me, and for the glory of my Kingdom and mine, honor and brightness returned unto me, and my counselors and my Lords, sod unto me.
And I was established in my Kingdom. An excellent majesty was added unto me. Now notice how he ends. I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven. All whose works are truth in his ways judgment, and those that walk in pride, he is able to abase.
Again I say, dear friend, this evening God commands men to repent. God turned Nebuchadnezzar to destruction, and said, Return, ye children of men. And after seven times of being in as a beast of the field, Nebuchadnezzar, that mighty king returned to give glory and honor not to himself any longer.
But to the God of heaven.
This is what God is calling on men everywhere to do today to today.
Do you still have wrong thoughts about God? Do you think that God is a killjoy, that he just wants to give you a miserable time and that you can't have any good time if you're going to receive Christ? If that's your thinking, I say to you tonight, repent.
That's God's word to you. Rethink the issue. That is not the case. The only true joy is in knowing God the way He has been revealed in the person of the Lord Jesus.
With all my heart I played. There's anybody that is turning the other direction before God has to speak any louder. Please open your ears. Listen to him speaking to you. Not so important. You listen to me. I make mistakes and it's important that you listen to God. He commands, He doesn't say if you'd like to, you can repent, no.
He knows the awfulness of the judgment that's just before this poor world, and because of that he says, repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and thy house. Lord bless his word. Let's just pray, gracious God.