Seeking for a Cure

Charles McKendree

Book of Daniel | The Sovereignty of God • Sermon • Submitted a year ago • Presented a year ago

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Nebuchadnezzar, after having a dream, found himself in a place of great anxiety and was desperate to find an answer. When the answer wasn't found in the world, he struck out in anger.

Notes

Transcript

Introduction

My own personal struggles with anxiety…how it affects those around me…the only cure there is

Focus Passage: Daniel 2:1-13

Outline

1. Looking to the world for the answer (vv. 1-3)

Daniel 2:1–3 NASB 2020

1 Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him. 2 Then the king gave orders to call in the soothsayer priests, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 The king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to understand the dream.”

Nebuchadnezzar is a good picture of the human psyche. We all have concerns in life. We all have those things in our life that scare us. We look around and go through struggles during the day that become our nightmares at night. What we see in the text before us is also the desperation to find a cure for our anxiety.

Nebuchadnezzar faced a nightmare that took his peace - ‘…Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; and his spirit was troubled and his sleep left him...’

Nebuchadnezzar looked for the world to give him the answer - ‘…the king gave orders to call in the soothsayer priests, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams...’

Nebuchadnezzar was desperate for an answer like many are today - ‘…I had a dream, and my spirit is anxious to understand the dream...’

What Nebuchadnezzar did not understand is that this dream was a divine dream from God and the world did not have the answer. We are all in a place such as Nebuchadnezzar when are without God. There is no rest without God. As we look at Nebuchadnezzar, we see two blaring truths that apply to all without the Lord.

There is no security in this world

Nebuchadnezzar had it all: power, prestige, wealth, fame, influence and yet none of this could bring his spirit peace

The world wants you to believe all this will bring you comfort and peace, but what the world offers is ALL temporary.

1 John 2:15–17 NASB 2020

15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever.

When one puts their heart’s desire squarely on what the world affords, they will never find peace. Man was created for the pleasures of the world, but to have a relationship with and bring honor to God. As Augustine said, a human heart is restless until it finds its rest in God.

All this world will ever do is cause decay and distraction from what God wants and true peace afforded to you by God alone.

Mark 4:19 NASB 2020

19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

We also find...

Humanity is hostile

When Nebuchadnezzar could not remember the dream or find an answer for the dream and his anxiety, he lashes out. This is true for most of us. If we don’t find peace, we fight, we claw, we fight. We become desperate.

2. False promises and bribery are not the answer (vv. 4-9)

Daniel 2:4–9 NASB 2020

4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in Aramaic: “O king, live forever! Tell the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 5 The king replied to the Chaldeans, “The command from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be torn limb from limb and your houses will be turned into a rubbish heap. 6 But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts and a reward and great honor; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 8 The king replied, “I know for certain that you are trying to buy time, because you have perceived that the command from me is firm, 9 that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only one decree for you. For you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt words before me until the situation is changed; therefore tell me the dream, so that I may know that you can declare to me its interpretation.”

Nebuchadnezzar comes to his support group, his friends, and his crew in looking for the answer and find that they don’t have the answer either. They would never have the answer. Nebuchadnezzar had hostility because he did not have peace within himself or with his self. His personal peace was absent. Therefore, no matter what was said, genuine peace would not come. He could not trust himself or those he was asking for advice from.

We see this in our text. twice he tells them to tell his dream and interpretation or they would be killed. They were asking for the impossible. How could they tell they dream? Much less, answer the dream?

Nebuchadnezzar is a great picture of how we find ourselves during times of anxiety. You are desperate for an answer and cure, but often you find yourself without an answer and without a cure. When we do not find a cure, we do as Nebuchadnezzar did.

3. When the answer does not come, the anxiety boils over (vv. 10-13)

Daniel 2:10–13 NASB 2020

10 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is no person on earth who could declare the matter to the king, because no great king or ruler has ever asked anything like this of any soothsayer priest, sorcerer, or Chaldean. 11 Moreover, the thing which the king demands is difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it to the king except gods, whose dwelling place is not with mortal flesh.” 12 Because of this, the king became angry and extremely furious, and he gave orders to kill all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree was issued that the wise men be killed; and they looked for Daniel and his friends, to kill them.

The Chaldeans answered correctly, There is no person on earth who could declare the matter to the king. There is no cure on earth for anxiety. Medicine is not the cure, it helps but is not a cure. The only true answer for anxiety, especially of the soul, is a right relationship with God. Often, the cause of our anxiety is not what is seen nor does it have an earthly solution. The cause of our anxiety goes deeper and the answer is God. Just as the Chaldeans answer correctly once again, no one else who could declare it to the king except gods, whose dwelling place is not with mortal flesh. However, they are wrong in the fact that its not gods, but God alone that has the answer and cure for man’s anxious spirit.

Finally, we find that man’s anxiety and restless spirit, if not healed by the Lord, will boil over and cause trouble for those around us. Our internal restless spirit will cause us to lash out at others, So the decree was issued that the wise men be killed; and they looked for Daniel and his friends, to kill them.

Conclusion

There is but one source of peace in this life and that source is not found in anything that this world affords. It is through a personal relationship in Jesus Christ. It is found through the power of prayer and faith in the Lord.

Philippians 4:6–7 NASB 2020

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.