Sermon Tone Analysis

Pattern #1: Sin (1-4)

Background on the passage:

King Belshazzar; who was he?

Belshazzar was the son of King Nebonidus, who was the fourth king after King Nebuchadnezzar.

Belshazzar was placed in charge of Babylon as Coregent while his father was away dealing with a threat of invasion.

The position of coregent means that he was second in charge, as attested to by Daniel 5:7.

Belshazzar was incredibly arrogant.

Commentators note that just two years prior, Belshazzar had met the Persians in battle and was routed and fled to their city’s defenses.

The city was traditionally impregnable, but a weakness was their water supply.

While the people inside the city thought the Persians were digging in order to pile up earth to attack from the top, they were actually digging to divert the water away from the city walls so they could walk under the city walls and attack.

What was happening around them?

Now, the Persians were directly outside the city preparing for attack.

The city was traditionally impregnable, but a weakness was their water supply.

While the people inside the city thought the Persians were digging in order to pile up earth to attack from the top, they were actually digging to divert the water away from the city walls so they could walk under the city walls and attack.

What was happening in his midst?

Inside was a drunken orgy of over a thousand people.

In researching this, I originally thought, “1,000 people at a party?

I don’t know about that.”

This was extremely common.

In fact, it was very common to have even more people in attendance.

What’s more, is that included in these thousand were the city’s fighting commanders and cultural elite.

It’s kind of like a perfect storm for a government take-over!

Define his sin:

Idolatry:

They took items made to worship the one true God and used them in a despicable manner.

(v.2)

Non-Jewish people-unclean-drank from them.

People whose job it was to provide sin pleasure drank from them.

He worshipped gods made of material things.

(v.4)

Pride: (which leads to idolatry)

He was prideful that his kingdom was better than any other.

Notice that “while he tasted wine” he gave the command to get the vessels to drink from.

The words “while he tasted wine” is code for “as he got hammered drunk.”

His pride brought him to worship things other than the true God of Israel.

Bring it around; what sin ensnares you right now?

Sin defined:

The sin of Belshazzar:

What does idolatry look like today?

Bring it around; what sin ensnares you right now?

We don’t worship items today, do we?

I’d contest that we do!

Some worship the god of hunting and fishing.

Others worship the god of online and retail shopping.

Parents worship their kids and grandparents worship their grands.

Friends, people worship at the feet of Calapari in the Great City of Lexington!

Anything that you in fact place over the worship of God in our Lord Jesus Christ is idol worship and needs to be repented of immediately.

How can pride hurt believers?

Pattern #2: Warning (5-9)

Background on the passage:

Fingers on the wall:

Belshazzar saw literal fingers writing on a wall.

This is creepy enough; but imagine being hammered drunk with a thousand of your best friends and seeing detached fingers etching words you can’t read on a wall.

Perhaps these are a representation of the very fingers of God:

Ex. 8:

Enchanters, Chaldeans and astrologers:

You’ve already seen in reference to these type of folks.

I like how the NKJV describes the enchanters; it uses the word “soothsayers.”

These people were of a priestly class and were used to interpret omens.

I had a dude pray over me in tongues once and tell me that God wanted to do something great in my life, but first I had to get rid of a sin issue.

I would have paid attention to him, but for a few reasons:

If it were of God, the tongues weren’t necessary, unless I or Christy could interpret, which neither of us could.

He was not able to say what the “great thing” was.

It would be easy for me to tell you that God is going to do something great in your life if only you repent.

Repent of what, in order that God may bless me for what?

Prophecies are specific as we will see shortly and as are evidenced elsewhere in the Old and New Testaments.

Third ruler in the kingdom:

Belshazzar was offering the best that he had.

Nabonidus was the rightful king.

Belshazzar was coregent, second in charge, and the Jews considered him as king because he acted as such.

What was left was “third ruler in the kingdom.”

Define the warning:

A divine warning:

Notice that none of the soothsayers and party could neither read nor interpret the writing on the wall.

The hand and the writing was so unexpected and unnatural that “his countenance changed.”

That means he body exhibited signs of terror.

The Bible says, “his knees knocked against each other.”

Bring it around; what are some ways we receive warnings when sin is present?

Scriptural warnings:

Through the reading and preaching of scripture, we are convicted of sin.

Scripture is very clear as to what sin is and is not.

When we try to ignore scriptural warnings of sin OR attempt to redefine what sin is based upon our current needs, wants, or cultural context we are guilty of violating the first commandment found in (you shall have no other gods before me)

Warnings from brothers or sisters:

Believers speak truth to us.

Brother and sisters can warn us when we are in sin.

Warnings from the Holy Spirit:

As a born again believer, we have the Holy Spirit indwelling in us.

His Spirit convicts us of sin and leads us toward repentance.

The Holy Spirit also warns the lost.

Those whom the Holy Spirit is calling are able to repent of their sin and trust Christ.

Warnings from the lost:

The truth is in them-their conscience declares the truth.

The lost do not speak in the same way that the Bible, other born again people, or the Holy Spirit, but we are able to receive warnings from them too.

The Holy Spirit uses them to warn us through scripture (as we see today), and through the simple fact that God created all humans, saved and unsaved, with worth and value.

We can certainly receive warnings through lost people.

Pattern #3: See the Truth Through Others (10-12)

To repeat, the patterns so far are 1.

Sin 2. Warning, and now 3. See the Truth Through others

Background on the passage:

Daniel, chief of the magicians.