Encounters with God Encountering the Sovereign God Daniel 5:1-13; 18-28

May 25, 2014 Prayer Requests Klineline Family - Bereavement Klineline Family - Bereavement Charles Brown -- Health Charles Brown -- Health Traci Frazier – Health Traci Frazier – Health Peggy & Danny -- Health Peggy & Danny -- Health Ruth Gawith -- Health Ruth Gawith -- Health Ginnie Jellison – Health Ginnie Jellison – Health Donnie Meeks – Health Donnie Meeks – Health Keith McNew – Salvation Keith McNew – Salvation James Alexander -- Salvation James Alexander -- Salvation

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SandraGreat Britain DavidMexico Saurabh Bangladesh, Angola, Namibia RuthIndia, Israel, Australia, New Zealand Keith & Ruth Switzerland SarahSwaziland WayneAfrica Persistence in persecution “We worshiped imagined gods and goddesses. The worship through … gods and goddesses, there is no religious atmosphere and theme and good result from them,” said Roy. Roy read books and studied about his religion, but found only tales of corruption and death. He had some Christian friends who often discussed the tenets of the Bible with him. One day they showed the JESUS film, and Roy attended. He was astonished to see a “prophet” dedicate his life to others, and performing miracles like curing the blind and raising a man named Lazarus from the dead. Afterward, he told his Christian friend that he liked Jesus, but was unsure how his family would react if he believed in Jesus. His friends started praying for him. Roy talked to his wife, and said that he had found the true religion. The couple attended some Nazarene prayer meetings, and at one meeting were amazed to see a child cured from its illness when the pastor prayed. Roy and his wife accepted Christ, but their village neighbors began to persecute them for their new faith. …During this time, his neighbor had been suffering a fever for a long time. Doctors were unable to cure him. The villagers expected the man would die. Roy visited the sick man at night and asked for permission from the villagers for him to pray over the man. The villagers agreed. Roy prayed and stayed with the man all night. He discussed with people John 14:9, “He who has seen me has seen the Father." He explained to everyone the plan for salvation. In the morning, the patient wanted to eat, and Roy brought him food. He prayed every day for the patient. After some days, the patient was fully recovered. Many of the villagers came to Roy to ask his forgiveness for their behavior toward him. In that time, Roy was invited to work with the Nazarene JESUS Film team. At the same time, he started the course of study to become an ordained pastor, through South Asia Nazarene Bible College, and he learnt many things which he did not know deeply. Now he explains the Bible and is a good motivator for the JESUS Film team. First he organized a church in his village and led 43 men and women to Christ. Now Pastor Roy is a pioneer of evangelism and building the church.

Praying for the US & Canada Alexanders: CA, OK, GA, QC Vanderpool: NM (SE ABQ) Jellisons: UT, TX, AK Shultzs: CA, DC, MA, BC Moores: AZ, NM, DC, CA, YT, QC Abby Nielson: MA, OH, VT, QC Aliece Nielson: NM, VT, PEI L. Kilgore: VA, MI T. & P. Brown: IL, HW, PA, DC Nielsons: OH, PEI, VT, MA, RI Griffins: VT, OH, (Northeast) C. Yazzie: NM, AZ, & Navajo Nation Adams: NM, CA, MA B. Brown: GA, OR, ON B. Vito: NY,ID NYC 2015 Video Announcements Nazarene Youth International USA/Canada has announced the theme for Nazarene Youth Conference 2015: "Thy Kingdom Come." On July 8-12, 2015, thousands youth from across the USA/Canada Region will meet in Louisville, Kentucky, for times of fellowship, praise, and service revolving around the theme of The Lord's Prayer. Justin Pickard, USA/Canada NYI regional coordinator, is asking that leaders around the USA and Canada engage in prayer for this important event. Many youth point to NYC as being a pivotal moment in their spiritual development. Pickard says, "We are ramping up the call to prayer, but not just in the lives of teens who attend NYC. We believe God is calling the entire church to join in prayer."

Daniel 5 (NIV) King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank wine with them. 2 While Belshazzar was drinking his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines might drink from them. 3 So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. 4 As they drank the wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone. 5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. 6 His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his legs became weak and his knees were knocking.

The Handwriting on the Wall Belshazzar profaned the things of God. Do people today make the same error? Were Belshazzar’s actions an effective response to the writing? Was it too late for an effective response?

Daniel 5 (NIV) 7 The king summoned the enchanters, astrologers and diviners. Then he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.” 8 Then all the king’s wise men came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant. 9 So King Belshazzar became even more terrified and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled..

Daniel 5 (NIV) 10 The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!” she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! 11 There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom like that of the gods. Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners. 12 He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar, was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.” 13 So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?

The Battle of the Knowledgeable What was the difference between the enchanters/astrologers/diviners and Daniel? What was the difference between the enchanters/astrologers/diviners and Daniel? Why did Belshazzar seek the advice of enchanters/astrologers/diviners? Why did Belshazzar seek the advice of enchanters/astrologers/diviners? Why did the Queen Mother recommend Daniel? Why did the Queen Mother recommend Daniel?

Daniel 5 (NIV) 18 “Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor. 19 Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death; those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled. 20 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. 21 He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.

Daniel 5 (NIV) 22 “But you, Belshazzar, his son, have not humbled yourself, though you knew all this. 23 Instead, you have set yourself up against the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand. But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life and all your ways. 24 Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

Daniel 5 (NIV) 25 “This is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN 26 “Here is what these words mean: Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. 27 Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting. 28 Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.” 29 Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom. 30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians, was slain, 31 and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.

You Did Not Honor God How were Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar alike? How different? How were Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar alike? How different? Do you think Belshazzar deserved the punishment he got? Do you think Belshazzar deserved the punishment he got? Is this lesson appropriate for our world today? Is this lesson appropriate for our world today? Who will our world turn to for sound advice? Who will our world turn to for sound advice?

Encounters with God June – August 2014 Encouners That Teach Obedience Exodus 17:1-7; Numbers 20:2-13