Robert Morris – The Reversal Of Pride – The Kings of Babylon

all right we're gonna finish our Series today called the keys of Babylon and we're gonna be talking about the fourth key which is Cyrus and I'm going to just give you a little bit of history on the Book of Daniel first and then I'll tell you what this message is about dan you need to know that Daniel minister to all four of these keys and just let me show you some quick scriptures Daniel 1:21 says thus Daniel continued until the first year of King Cyrus and we're gonna beat all night Cyrus today and Daniel 628 this is actually where we ended last week at the end of chapter 6 so this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian so we talked about Darius last week now Cyrus now to let you know Daniel has 12 chapters the first six chapters or historical chapters are the history of what happened during the Exile the Exile is the seven years when God took Israel the people of Israel out of the land into Babylon kept in captivity okay that's called the Exile so the first six chapters are the history of the Exile the second six chapters chapter seven through 12 are the visions that Daniel received that most people believe are about the end times and some are about the end times but some are about things that we're going to happen until the Messiah came and win the Messiah all right so let me just show you you can read these but it would take a whole nother series but just Daniel seven eight nine ten eleven twelve just the first verse alright Daniel seven one in the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and I have actually preached through some parts of Daniel seven last Easter I used Daniel 7 to show how Jesus fulfilled that Daniel 8:1 in the third year of the reign King Abell Belshazzar a vision appeared to me Daniel 9 in the first year of Darius the son of hard word of the lineage of the Medes who has made king over the realm of the Chaldeans now here's what I want you to notice in the first year of his reign I Daniel now keep hold this phrase for later in the message understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the Prophet that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem so Daniel was saying I understood that we would be released after 70 years just know once you notice that we'll come back to that Daniel 10:1 in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel Daniel 11:1 also in the first year of Darius the Mede I even I stood up to cover him strengthen so you see how it just keeps going through hay saying in the first year this king I had this dream and the third year of this king I had this dream y'all follow me now one thing I want you know about Daniel is Daniel is one of the most puzzling books to skeptics in the world it is so puzzling because he prophesied things with such specific special specifications yeah yeah hard word hard work thank you so much brother for pointing that out to the whole church I appreciate I'm joking specificity that that even skeptics that they just can't explain it and they're even actually I'm gonna just say it's stupid explanations for it but it's crazy but Daniel actually prophesied the year that Jesus began his ministry it's amazing Daniel prophesied in Daniel 11 that the Persian Empire would be conquered by another Empire specified the dates and the Fatih Empire would become the greatest empire in the world then that Empire will be cut off suddenly and would become four empires that those four empires would become two those two would become one and during that last Empire the Messiah would come now Daniel prophesized this in 500 years a little over 500 years before Christ in the sixth century and let me just say that you that they would be the Persian to be conquered by one Empire that Empire would become the greatest empire in the world you know about it I'll tell you that moment that Empire will be cut off suddenly would become four empires those four would become - those two had become one and during the last one that in the Messiah come okay so in the fourth century Alexander the Great you ever heard of Alexander the Great conquered the Persians because beginning to conquer most of the known world became the greatest empire the world had ever known it was cut off suddenly because Alexander died at 32 he died without an heir so the Empire was divided into four empires Daniel prophesied this five hundred years before the Jesus came those four empires were the four generals that Alexander had two of those generals were Seleucia and Ptolemy which became those two became the Seleucid period Empire and the Ptolemaic Empire you ever heard of those you ever say those in script in history okay those two then were conquered by one Empire called Rome and then during the Roman Empire Jesus came and Daniel prophesized that five in your story that's that's not bad what that means is that god knows what's going to happen the reason I'm telling you that is because God knows what's going to happen to you tomorrow our God knows nothing catches him by surprise and some of some of Daniel is about in times I think more people think it's about end times I think some of it has already been fulfilled by Jesus the Messiah but then I read you through Daniel 11 Daniel 12 verse 1 I want you to watch how it starts and watch how many scriptures in the New Testament this one verse I wish I could have given to you by the lifetime if this was a seminary class I'd give them all to you but I don't have time in a week your message but Daniel 12 verse 1 says at that time Michael shall stand up Michael Michael the Archangel shall stand up the Great Prince who stands watch over the sons of your people and there shall be a time of trouble a Great Tribulation such as never since was since there was a nation even at time and at that time your people shall be delivered there's a rapture every one who has found written in the book and the New Testament talks about the book of life and many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake some to everlasting for those who sleep asleep will shower will awake write some to everlasting life some to shame and everlasting contempt that's revelation 20 that's that's Daniel y'all y'all following me so it's amazing alright so we're gonna talk about Cyrus and I've been telling you that Cyrus is the surprise we talked about the seduction of pride the stubbornness of pride and the deception of pride now let me just say right now if you've been seduced by pride then you are stubborn and you are easily deceived the worst meetings I have in the world or when I have to meet with prideful people because they're stubborn and they're deceived and it seems like no matter what I say even straight out of Scripture I can't get through I don't mind me with anybody who's humble because we can work through anything but you can't work through anything with a prideful person because he's stubborn and he's deceived so we've talked about that what does Cyrus represent so here's the title of the message this week this is the surprise the reversal of pride pride can be reversed let me say it another way a prideful person can become a humble person a prideful person can become a humble person so let's ask this though because we've got Nebuchadnezzar and God humbled him Darius and God humbled him we've got all through scripture God humbling people so does God humble people yes God does humble people why would God ever humble anyone I'm gonna give you some answers but let me just give you one that's not even in my notes all right and that is that pride we've heard pride comes before a fall that's actually not what the Bible says it says pride comes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall look it up yourself but our little saying has become you know Bible says pride comes for fall pride gun for fall no he comes before destruction a haughty spirit comes before fault okay so why would God ever humble anyone simple to keep them from being destroyed in other words because He loves you so let me give you three or three reasons to root that God wants to reverse pride you in life number one God's plans for you or for your good God's plans for you or for your good deuteronomy 816 who fed you in the wilderness with manna which your fathers did not know I listened to all my children Israel into the Willis watch that he might humble you so God did this to humble him that he might humble you and that he might test you to do you good in the end there it is right there I straight out about it why would God ever humble anyone to do him good for their good matter of fact you've probably made this statement at some point I know God is humbling me and I God know I know God is testing me right now but I know it's for my good if you're a mature believer you know Romans 8:28 but all things work for good for those who love God who called according to his purpose right okay so he's doing it for that but we're talking about the Exile that was talking about the wilderness wouldn't it be great if there were a scripture that actually said that God took the children of Israel out of the land for seven years for their good wouldn't it be great if there was some pastor who spent all week studying to find that scripture just for you do you remember daniel said and i told you to remember this he said i started reading the book of jeremiah and that's when I figured out it was seventy years remember that let me show you the scripture Daniel 24 verse John me pardon me Jeremiah 24 verse 5 thus says the Lord the God of Israel by the way this is right for they're taken captive like these good figs so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah whom I have sent out of this place you might say these words for their own good into the land of the Chaldeans which is Babylon I told you God did this for the good of his people not to punish him because he's mad at him I guess he's gonna get it back teach him a lesson I'm gonna really teach them a good lesson he's doing it further good now there's another scripture in Jeremiah 29 in Jeremiah that you know as a matter of fact we quote it as a matter of fact it was in the little ceramic bread thing on my grandmother's table you remember that it was the verse of the day bread for that what bread for the day or something like that and you'd pulled it out and read scripture and put that one in the back you know okay so I remember you have quoted this scripture I'll bet you but I also bet you didn't know the context Jeremiah 29:11 you ever heard of this scripture for I know the thoughts that I think toward you says the Lord thoughts apiece and one version says not a pit but thoughts of good and not of evil to give you a future and a hope now you're ready for the scripture you quoted you want to know what the context is of it watch verse 10 the verse right before it for thus says the Lord after seventy years are completed at Babylon I will visit you and perform my good word toward you and cause you to return to this place for in that amazing we memorize a verse and we don't realize it started with a preposition and some of you thinking I don't really know what a preposition is past rather it means it's preceding a subject that we need to find out what it's talking about it's impious it's giving us more explanation of a certain of a certain subject it's already talked about you know for I know the thoughts that I think toward you that's where the worst came from it's referring to the Exile now let me show you it one more scripture here st. chronicles 36 22 and 23 these are the last two verses of second chronicles in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled we just read the two scriptures the Lord stirred up the spirits of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation through all his kingdom and also put it in writing saying thus says Cyrus king of Persia all the kingdoms of the earth the Lord of God of heaven has given me and he has commanded me to build him a house at Jerusalem now we're going to see that actual scripture as well where he commands Cyrus to fund the building of the temple a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah who is among you all of all his people made the Lord his God be with him and let him go out in other words all of you who are other of Jerusalem y'all go up and do this and I'm gonna fund it I'm gonna resource it okay now here's what I want you to know about this yeah it's fun to teach people the Bible that haven't you know been able to haven't had the opportunity you're called to do something else yeah and then it will have the opportunity to study as some of us have you know I understand that 2nd chronicles 36 with the vertibird 2 verses we just read the last two verses say chronicles 36 are you ready for this are you ready I want you to be ready this is big deal to me okay these are the last two verses chronologically of the Hebrew Scriptures not Malachi these are the LAT this is the way the Old Testament the Hebrew Scriptures end right here with the rebuilding of the temple Jesus comes along and says you see this dimple you've worshipped at this temple but I'm telling you listen what the way he says it I think he said like this tear this temple down and I'll rebuild it in three days I'm changing the way you thought about the temple I'm about to make my temple in your heart but these are the scriptures these are scriptures in the Hebrew Scriptures they're 24 books not 39 in our Old Testament Christian Old Testament there's 39 the reason they're 24 it's the same books by the way it's the same books but they categorize them differently that's the first five books RB the Torah the Hebrew word is toward the Greek word is Pentateuch for the first five books of the Old Testament then the next 11 books would be the prophets so you've got I'm thinking where it's 11 or 12 now yes no pardon me it's 8 books 8 books are the prophets and then 11 books are called the writings but the reason we get 39 is that some of the books like Kings or one book and we have it first and second Kings Ezra and Nehemiah are one book and those are two books and our in our Bible chronicles Samuel those are two books and ours you see that I'm saying so that's how you get it and also in the book of the prophets the last book we have it be the mate we call them the major prophets in the minor prophets and we have 11 of those so that's how you get to 39 books that's how you get to the Christian Old Testament you follow me but the last this is the way it ends this is waiting but here's what I want to tell you here's the good news okay if you get yourself in trouble even if God is disciplining you like he was his children he's doing it for your good he's doing it for your good if you're going through something right now you need to know it's for your good it was always for their good and he said it over and over again and just to show you just one example of that Joseph gets thrown in a pit sold into slavery you say well how was that for his good well a couple of things God was preparing him to be number two in the most powerful nation in the world that time Egypt but I think there was pride in Joseph and I think God was humbling him for good here's the reason I think there was cried God gave him a dream when he was 17 years old that his brothers would bow down to him I'd found one you're thinking like this why would God give you a dream when you're 17 now I don't know I'm not saying thing bad because there are a lot of mature seventeen year olds but there's only two in the whole world probably and I haven't met him yet so 17 and here's what it says Genesis 37 when his brothers saw their father loved him more than all his brothers they hated him by the way the Hebrew word here is hated they hated him and could not speak peace of live.watch now Joseph had a dream and he told it to his brothers and they hated him even more okay just just a question what what would cause you to tell older stronger brothers that hate you that they're going to bow down to you one day I something I was wanting to say pride but it didn't came to me stupidity that's what he would be actually okay so God's doing it for you good here's number two God knows you before you know him so no matter what type of home you grew up in or no matter what you went through God God knew you before you knew him so it is believed that Daniel not only when he's reading Jeremiah he also read Isaiah and showed these scriptures to Cyrus and that's why Cyrus gave the decree to build the temple we don't know that the annulus showed him because the Bible doesn't tell us that but we think Daniel would have been the logical one because he's the one who had access and he had ease here okay but let me show you Isaiah 45 verse 1 thus says the Lord to his anointed to Cyrus whose right hand I have held verse for Jacob for Jacob My servants sake and Israel my elect I have even called you by your name watch this I have named you though you have not known me chapter 44 verse 28 who says of Cyrus he is my shepherd and he shall perform all my pleasure saying to Jerusalem you shall be built and to the temple your foundation shall be late do you remember he makes the proclamation that God has told me to rebuild Jerusalem build the temple where else would he have known except if Jeremy if Daniel said to him look right here your names in Isaiah also and by the way this was written a hundred and fifty years before this a hundred and fifty years now here's the amazing thing God said I known you I'm the one that gave your name well you don't know is that when cyrus was born his grandfather was the king and his grandfather had a dream that his grandson was going to overthrow him now the grandfather the sons name who was the father of Cyrus yes to give that listen to what his name was canvases the first why wouldn't his son been named Cambyses the second by the way cyrus named his his son canvases the second okay so the grandfather has this dream that's that his grandson is going to overthrow him so he orders him to be killed they had him they given to one of the Kings upper guys there he takes him out but he meets a shepherd and his wife who are burying their stillborn son and he switches babies with them he takes the dead baby back and says the infant has been killed - the grandfather of the king the shepherd names him Cyrus even though his father named him canvas it's the second because if he had been named that someone would have known who was y'all following me he names him Cyrus God says a hundred and fifty years before he comes into power I'm the one that names you I knew you and then he makes this statement and you're my shepherd for the first 10 years of his life he's raised by this shepherd and his mother and he thinks that's his parents and he thinks he's a shepherd and he learns to tend sheep and he thinks he's going to be a shepherd every year when they took the baby back the grandfathered ordered him to be killed more and so much every year on his birthday that finally on his tenth birthday he was mourning so much on his 10th birthday that they finally said to him got the nerve ups say king he's not dead he's not dead he's still alive and he said please restore him I want to know I want to be able to meet my grandson so they go and take him he has no clue though he thinks he's been taken from his real parents see the shepherd he goes and be kidding begins leaving the palace finds out he's the grandson by the way the prophecy came past he did overthrow his grandfather he did become the ruler of the world but when he becomes the ruler of the world the Prophet comes to him and he says to him look right here this was written 150 years ago and God says I'm the one that named you and I knew you before you knew me and then it says that when this is what the person who was also Greek Herodotus this storing of the day the most notable story he's actually called the father of history he's the most notable first historian ever called the father of history Herodotus here's what he wrote about it he said when Cyrus saw that God call said he is my shepherd he knew that God knew him personally he knew God knew him personally that's why was such conviction he would say rebuild this temple because this is what God's done in my life are you are y'all following me this is amazing this is amazing I'm telling you our God knows he plans he's got it all planned out everything so he knew you before you knew him here's number three God's plans for you include provision God's plans for you include provision Ezra 1 verse 4 and whoever is left in any place where he dwells let the men of his place help him with silver and gold with Goods and livestock besides the freewill offerings of the house of God which is in Jerusalem Ezra 3 7 they also gave money to the Masons and the Carpenters and food and drink and oil to the people of Sidon and tyre to bring cedar logs from Lebanon to the sea to Joppa according to the permission which they had from Cyrus king of Persia God was providing for them everything they needed through Cyrus this is the reversal of pride when pride gets reversed in your life you immediately step into God's plan for you you also step into God's provision for you and Daniel Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego were always provided for the children in the Israel their clothes didn't wear out and the shoes didn't wear out and I know you ladies wouldn't like having the same pair of shoes for 40 years but they didn't wear out because there wasn't a Nordstrom's in the wilderness so God provided for him so even when the children of Israel were in a time of correction for God and even when Israel was in a time of Correction God was providing but as soon as they were humbled the children of Israel in the wilderness walked into the Promised Land with a which was a land that had houses built by giants the giants were over nine feet tall 9 foot king-size beds 9 foot big-screen TVs not bad and then when the children of Israel were released and went back to rebuild the walls of their city and their temple every penny was provided for already this is her car this is God this is God so God humbles us but that's not the ultimate the Altman is that you humble yourself because even when God humbled Nebuchadnezzar he had a choice he had to humble himself God humble Darius and Cyrus and they humble themselves Belshazzar did not humble himself remember that even though God humbled it so just taking second chronicles the last book of the Hebrew Scriptures just saying chronicles I could do it all through the Bible just saying chronicles let me just show you a few verses on this alright one very famous one chapter 7 verse 14 you ever heard this one if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves that's the first thing listen to it listen listen to this that's what you're supposed to do even before you pray that's more important than prayer because prayer from a prideful hearts not going to go anywhere if my people which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from heaven and then I will forgive their sin and heal their land sin chronicles 12-6 so the leaders of the Israel and ki humbled themselves saying chronicles 32 26 then Hezekiah humbled himself 33 23 he did not humble himself 34 27 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself 36 12 he did evil in the side the Lord is God and did not humble himself and here's the new testament if you want it confirmed by the New Testament James 4:10 humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up first Peter 5:6 therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time okay so how do you humble yourself I ask God that question for many years I said god I want to be I want to be humble but I really don't want to be humbled ever had that thought I want to be humble Lord but I really don't want you to humble me but the Bible says humble myself so how do you humble yourself well the Lord showed me one day and he gave me the greatest example of humbling yourselves it's the person that humbled himself the most that ever lived it's Jesus Philippians 2 verse 5 you must have the same attitude that Christ hath had though he was God he did not think of equality with God though he was equal with God as something to hang on to her to cling to instead he gave up his divine privilege easy he gave up his equality with God he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being when he appeared a human form he what humbled himself in obedience God is not a criminal's death on the cross so how do you humble yourself the word humble has four or five definitions in the Greek this is one of the definitions to rank yourself below others to rank yourself below others and Philippians 2 if you backed up a little bit verse 3 says this let each esteem others better than himself better not equal now listen there we talk about equality and we should talk about equality because we don't have gender equality and we don't have racial equality in this world right now but we should also talk about humility in the kingdom of cut and humility takes equality a step further and I'm not say anything bad about equality please hear that but humility takes that step further it doesn't mean that I don't just consider you equal it means I consider you better than I am i esteem you higher than I esteem myself I take the form of a servant and I'm here to serve you I don't stand up here every week as the leader of the church I stand up here as the servant of the church and I'm here to serve you the Word of God every week that's my job that's what I do and that that is a step further and you say well how do you do that he said you got to have the same mind Christ out let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus is the way the New King James says it let me just say well how do I do that I can tell you it's very simple you take every thought captive that comes into your mind you renew your mind with the word of God renew you make it new again I want you to think about this I just did the registration on Debbie's car renewed it ok renew renewed I was set registration renew all you know what that means it means I don't take a magic marker and change the year on it it means they're gonna send me a brand new registration sticker you can make your mind new again with this book right here you can make it move you can think of yourself lower than other people you can do it so when I closing illustration when I thought about this the person that I thought of that has always esteemed everyone better than herself is my wife always she's the greatest example of humility I know she she esteems me she esteems everyone we meet she's constantly wanting us to help a person in need she's talked to me about giving cars to single moms we we have we give cars when God tells us to and years ago the Lord told me I handle all the finances in our family I I don't mean that in a wrong way poured her but she can't count and she will admit it she does not understand numbers she I was telling her one time something better finance she says that by by by a Baba she just she cannot so I just handle it and so when we do heart for the King or something I've asked her before let's try to come up with the same number I asked her that one time let's let's come up with the same I said I asked the church to do it sugar we have never done this in our whole married life let's just try one time to come up with the same number so I prayed about it okay the number I got was $10,000 I'm gonna tell you the number that I got this was 10 years ago or so that was the number I got and I thought you know we so I said to her what did you come at the numbers she said I think so I said what number did you come up with she said 5,000 so just to make sure I heard her right I said 5,000 she said or 50,000 and I said to her do you understand the difference now for those of you mathematicians like I am difference is the mathematical word right okay all right I see surge in your head others have you have a blank look that's okay but do you understand the difference the difference is 45,000 by the way which was a lot of money do you understand the difference between those two numbers here's what she said yes a zero she said nothing nothing is the difference between those two you know okay so we have never prayed about an offering again together but I I just handle the finances but the years ago the Lord told me when she wants to give something whatever it is you give it he told me that you know whatever she wants to give you give because she'll come sometime to say she I remember the first time she said I'd like to help this single mom I like to get her a new car a car I bought her a used car but I like to get her car and the Lord said to me whatever she says you did she's very generous but she just she's always generous with everyone else she's never generous with herself so every year at Christmas and anniversary and birthday I call Elaine our daughter wears the lane right there to find out what what does mom loan because she won't tell me because she knows I'll go back so Elaine starts hinting around just letting you know this is Elaine is the spy you knew her Lane was the spy so a few years ago I said what does she want and she said mom swore me to secrecy I said sugar I'm gonna pull rank she said well she would like the certain purse but it's very very expensive and very extravagant and so she said to me please don't ever tell your dad this because this is too expensive of a purse but I like this purse and so I said because she said it's very expensive I said well how much is it when she told me I came close to having a heart attack it was the closest closest I've come to dying other than the helicopter I was close to second and I thought are you sure she doesn't want a another car you know I did you know that's just that's crazy that's crazy so I but I went to Lord Lord what do you want me to do here's what the Lord said to me I listened he said I would like to give that purse to my daughter he said I want to show my daughter how much I love her so a few weeks after that we go to speak at this church and a widow in the church came to Debbie and said God told me to buy you this and she opened up and it was the exact same person she wanted the exact same and she said to her this is from a father to his daughter God wanted you to have this I'm telling you God's plans for you are good no matter what you're going through God knew you before you knew him and God's plans include provision

Channel: gatewaychurchtv

Views: 145,454

Keywords: The Deception Of Pride, gateway, Gateway Church, gatewaypeople, Sermon, Jesus, God, Dallas, Texas, The Kings of Babylon, Robert Morris, The Reversal Of Pride

Id: pD_o9EMfu3I

Length: 39min 38sec (2378 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 01 2019