Did you know that in the Bible there was a very famous man who completely lost it because he thought he was better than God? King Nebuchadnezzar was probably the most powerful man on earth at one time. He spent 35 years of his life conquering the entire world, and at the time we meet him, he had just finished creating the world's first empire.
And boy was he proud of himself. One day, while Nebuchadnezzar was at ease in his palace, flourishing without a care in the world, out of nowhere, sudden dread overwhelmed the king when he saw a certain vision. In the vision, King Nebuchadnezzar sees a vast tree, a tree that is so tall it reaches the sky, so impressive that it's visible to the rest of the earth. This tree, unlike any other, provided shade for the animals, and all the creatures of the earth were fed by its fruit.
But here's what made Nebuchadnezzar uneasy. We are all being watched. A watcher or an Angel descended from heaven and began to chop the branches, the leaves, the fruits, and eventually the entire tree down. Are you picturing this right now? Here is this tree which surpassed every other tree on earth, and in an instant it was removed and all that remained was the stomp, which according to the vision was then plated by
bronze and iron. In other words, it was to be kept alive and it was to be protected for another time. Things then get even worse as Nebuchadnezzar in his vision was shown a man who was transformed into a grass eating, field dwelling animal and this man then remained in that state for seven years. It is almost incredible how this colossal man went from flourishing on the outside to
being troubled on the inside. So troubled was Nebuchadnezzar by the vision that he called the wisest man in the palace, but none of them could interpret his dream except for one man, Daniel. However, Daniel did not have good news to share. So bad was the fate of this king that Daniel spent one hour astounded by what the vision really meant. Eventually Daniel was able to compose himself, and he painted the picture very plainly for the
king. This great big tree that is visible to the whole world is you, Nebuchadnezzar. And just like in the vision, God is going to shake you off that throne of gold, and he's going to make you eat grass like an animal. Because just like the tree, your pride was large, so your fall will be equally large. But listen to me, God did not just leave Nebuchadnezzar without hope. He actually offered him a door of exit from this swift judgment. The Bible says. Therefore, O king, let my advice
be acceptable to you. Break off your sins by being righteous and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity. Did you catch that? In other words, this doom was not final. The writing was not yet on the wall. God was extending His hand of grace to Nebuchadnezzar one more time. He had one last opportunity to avoid this calamity and is all he had to do was repent. But did he?
No, 12 whole months went by, there was 365 opportunities to turn from this sin and to humble himself, and yet King Nebuchadnezzar did nothing. Am I the only one who thinks this sounds very familiar? All God has to do is simply place His finger on an area of your life and He could shake you to your very core. It only takes one letter, one doctor's appointment, one knock on the door, one text, one phone call, one second and you could be brought to your knees for
days, months and even years. Every single one of us has had those defining moments in our life. And in the moments of that crisis, maybe you yourself have even said these very words. Something has to change. That's it. I'm going to turn my life around. I will be the man of God you want me to be. I will be the woman of God you've been calling me to be. And we often say these things in the heat of the moment. And then the sermon ends.
Time goes by. The crisis is over and you forget all the vows you once made, all the lessons you learnt, and that sense of urgency to repent grows fainter and fainter until in the end, absolutely nothing changes. That, my friend, is exactly what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar one year after you received this startling vision from the Lord. After that long extension of grace, here we find King Nebuchadnezzar filled with pride, strutting around the
palace as if he was untouchable. Like many of the men of today, he believed I am the greatest look at everything I've ever built. And while the words were still in his mouth, he heard a voice from heaven echo. King Nebuchadnezzar, the Kingdom has departed from you. And just like that, the strings of his mind unhinged and he
became like a wild animal. His fingers grew like claws, his hair matted like birds feathers, and the king who ate the finest delicacies in the land was now left outside covered in rainwater and was instead eating grass. The fact is, this guy's God brought that man down. Oh, he can do it. He has done it. He will do it, and he is still doing it today. OK, yes, he might not be doing it in the same way that he did with King Nebuchadnezzar, but you mark my words, he is still
humbling men and women today. Oh my dear friend, if there's one thing you Remember, Remember this. God's mills grind slow. Yes, God is patient with us for a season. For a season He will let you continue in your sin and pride. But when the time comes, when the clock strikes midnight in your life, He does not delay and his judgement cannot be stopped. The Bible says my spirit will
not always strive with man. I don't want to speak foolishly, but as I've been speaking, I wonder if God has been dealing with you because for someone today, it is very likely the end of the line. It could well be your last opportunity, your final call. You've heard God speak to you many times before, but you've delayed. Do you know this wasn't the first time that God spoke to
Nebuchadnezzar? God tried to reach him several times before this very occasion, but each time God's voice got quieter and quieter in Nebuchadnezzar's ears. So I'll ask you again. Like Nebuchadnezzar, have you heard God call you many times before, but you have delayed? Do you remember the first time you realized that if you die tonight, you'd be separated from God for all of eternity? Do you remember the first time it dawned on you that you were a
Sinner? You were guilty, you were condemned before a holy God whom you will stand before one day and give an account. Did you cry when you heard the message of the cross for the first time? That though you have done wrong, though you have made so many mistakes in life and sinned so greatly, there was One who loved you enough to die in your place and pay the debt for your sin with His very blood so you could be forgiven.
Can you remember the day when the scales of your eyes were lifted and the evidence was presented before you so clearly that you knew that this man, Jesus Christ was totally different from all of the men? In fact, He alone was the one who could say I am the greatest, because He alone is the only one to rise from the dead. Can you remember when the voice of God was loud? It was so loud in your ears. Come to me, I'll save you. I'll wash away all of your sins.
And then as time went on, it got quieter and quieter, fainter and fainter, until you couldn't hear it at all. I don't know what God is calling you to do right now, whether you are to come to the cross for the very first time and you like Nebuchadnezzar, you need to repent because you do know that our story does have a happy ending.
No one is too far gone, not even King Nebuchadnezzar, because after the seven years were up, he realised the error of his ways and he humbled himself and he was eventually restored to the throne. I don't know if you are already saved. And what God is telling you to do in this particular message is in fact to obey Him, because for so long you've ignored His voice when He's told you time and time
again to give up this thing. He's laid His finger on a particular area in your life and said, lay it aside, Dedicate yourself totally to me, but you've continued to go your own way. Well, whatever it is, I'll finish with this big statement. There is nothing more solemn, more serious, than to hear the voice of God, to be touched by him, to be troubled to the very core, but then to delay.
Because as time goes on, the more you hear that same message over and over again, no longer will it trouble you, but this time, rather, it will make you angry. And then as time passes over and over again, eventually this very same message doesn't anger you. It doesn't trouble you. It doesn't touch you. You're actually bored by it because you've delayed for so long. Oh, my dear friend, God will not strive with man forever. And if you continue to sit on the fence, there will come a day
when you will hear nothing. That's why one of the most foolish things in the world is when a man or a woman says, I'll obey the voice of God when I'm older. When I'm older, I'll become a Christian because do you know something? Do you know what else comes with old age? Hearing loss. And when God speaks to you in those final moments of life, you won't hear a thing. So today, today if you hear His voice, don't delay and turn to the living God.