PRAISE THE LORD!
We thank and glorify God alone, who has wonderfully lead this lowly and humble church throughout this month. May, the Holy Spirit continue to lead us and make this sermon helpful to many.

Today's sermon is taken from The book of Daniel4:37 which says "And now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, honour and glorify the King of Heaven. Everything he does is right and just, and he can humble anyone who acts proudly. "
Read Daniel 4:34-37 the passage is "Nebuchadnezzar Praising God" why is a gentile king praising God of Israel? He learned that there is nothing is difficult or there is nothing is hidden to this great God of Israel when Daniel revealed his dream and interpreted.
However this king did not completely declare the God of glory but was still following his own gods of Babylon, and then He was puffed by his power and might and God warned him destruction if he continues in his pride by giving him second vision and after the fulfilment of the second vision in his life then king Nebuchadnezzar praises God and declares to all kingdoms through writing.

Acc to Dan 5:19 King Nebuchadnezzar was so great, that nations, races and all feared him, he had authority to kill someone or keep someone alive, he honoured or disgraced anyone. King Nebuchadnezzar was a man who boasted about his might, his power, his glory. He took pride in all that he built. Acc to Dan 4:30..
Now let's introduce today's topic
PRIDE OPPOSES PRAISE!
let's see how pride opposed praise to God in King Nebuchadnezzar's life.

Daniel was a man who was one of the Israelite who was taken into slavery.
Acc to Dan4:19-27 Daniel explains the second dream of the King asGgod showed him, there was a tree which was very tall, strong it grew so great that it reached the sky. (acc to Dan 4:20-22)
The tree was King Nebuchadnezzar himself....... He was so great and strong like the tree, his power extended over the whole world, wild animals (people who lived trusting the King) rested under the tree (King). Birds(King's officials) built nests in its branches and every kind of living being ate the tree's (King) fruit.

The angel of the Lord cuts down that tall, strong tree (King) because of the King would be driven away from humans and will eat grass and live among wild animals like an ox for seven years..
The angel of the Lord left the stump of the tree in the ground because after these seven years, he will become King again when he realises that God alone rules all over the earth. So God warns the King to repent before he undergoes God's unpleasant plan.
But the King refused to acknowledge.

In the Bible there are many things that touched the sky, but God then pulled them down:-
1)TREE that touched the sky ---CUT DOWN (Dan 4:22-23);
2)TOWER that touched the sky ---BROKEN DOWN (Gen11:4);
3)HEAVENLY BEINGS (Lucifer) who tried to touch the sky ---FALLEN DOWN
4)SINS OF THE CITY (Sodom and Gomorrah) touched the sky ---BURNT DOWN (Gen18:20).
Also Refer: Jer 51:53; Obadiah1:4; Job 20:6; Amos9:2; says God is able to exalt a person and when the person fails to acknowledge the Lord's praise, He could still pull them down.


In Nebuchadnezzar's life PRIDE v/s PRAISE.
In PRIDE :-
1)He looked how great Babylon was, result: He became insane, lived among wild animals etc.
2) Self praised
3)He said my power, my glory, my might and my majesty.
Once pride entered he started boasting about everything he owned, and he praised himself without praising God and after him acknowledging the Lord's great power he began to praise God;
In PRAISE (to god) :-
1)He looked up at the sky; result: Sanity returned, He praised God, Kingdom restored with even greater glory;

After the King suffered for seven years, he looked up at the sky instead of his prosperity, he got back to his senses, he praised God and not himself......
Truly, through the contradictions between Pride and Praise we get to know that Pride can only oppose us from praising God, and can never promote our praise...... The King's pride opposed him from praising God, and so the king says in Dan 4:37 that God can humble anyone who acts proudly.

Since the Israelites refused to praise God, and as stated above they refused to testify about God's wonders, God was so powerful that though the Israelites (God's chosen people) didn't praise Him, God made the King of Babylonia (a gentile king) to praise God ...

Therefore my dear friends in Christ, King Nebuchadnezzar needed seven years to repent and praise God, but for us this one sermon is much powerful, it takes a few minutes for us to repent and praise God, and stop taking pride in ourselves. Acknowledge His power and realise God is able to humble anyone who acts proud.
Ref. James 4:6;
Psa92:12 says that the righteous will be like Cedar's of Lebanon, but we fail to acknowledge his power God is able break the same cedar with his voice Ps 29:5;
MAY GOD BLESS YOU!