The dream that stumbles or strengthens

In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his spirit was troubled, and his sleep left him. Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. And the king said to them, “I had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.” Then the Chaldeans said to the king in Aramaic, “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will show the interpretation.” The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you shall be torn limb from limb, and your houses shall be laid in ruins. But if you show the dream and its interpretation, you shall receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor. Therefore show me the dream and its interpretation.” They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will show its interpretation.” The king answered and said, “I know with certainty that you are trying to gain time, because you see that the word from me is firm— if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation.” The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. The thing that the king asks is difficult, and no one can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”  Because of this the king was angry and very furious, and commanded that all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. So the decree went out, and the wise men were about to be killed; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch, the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. He declared to Arioch, the king’s captain, “Why is the decree of the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. And Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint him a time, that he might show the interpretation to the king.  Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven. Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.  He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;  he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.  To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”  Therefore Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon. He went and said thus to him: “Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon; bring me in before the king, and I will show the king the interpretation.”  Then Arioch brought in Daniel before the king in haste and said thus to him: “I have found among the exiles from Judah a man who will make known to the king the interpretation.” The king declared to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its interpretation?” Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these: To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be. But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.  “You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.  “This was the dream. Now we will tell the king its interpretation. You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. As you saw the iron mixed with soft clay, so they will mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”  Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell upon his face and paid homage to Daniel, and commanded that an offering and incense be offered up to him. The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” Then the king gave Daniel high honors and many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel made a request of the king, and he appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon. But Daniel remained at the king’s court. - Daniel 2:1-49 ESV

Nebuchadnezzar's Response to the Dream

The king was greatly shaken by this dream. How can we tell? Because he calls up all his advisors and threatens them with death. He is paranoid and suspicious of his own advisors. He is a megalomaniac, obsessed with building his kingdom, his image, and his reputation. And anything that threatens this desire, this idol, this personal glory... is immensely threatening.

The Meaning of the Dream

There is dispute over which kingdoms are represented in the dream. Most scholars think it was the Maldians, the Persians, and the Romans. But this doesn't matter, the final kingdom is the kingdom of God.

The Implications of the Dream

The society is increasingly against Christians. We are seen as backwards and against progress in America. People do not see us as good for this society. The dream tells us that this stone was not cut by human hands. God made this kingdom. Regardless of what circumstances, God will prevail and His kingdom will never end. But we cannot further His kingdom with our own ways. Daniel's friends prayed, and this was how God unleashed his power. And it continues today, God still works through prayer. Our own scheming, planning, striving, and eloquence is woefully insufficient.

We are to witness, but not by ourselves. The church witnesses together to our friends, family, coworkers, and classmates. It takes a team to testify to a hostile culture. Be patient with the small stone in building this mountain. Pray big, but expect small. It's small stones that grow a mountain.

The surprising growth of the kingdom

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground.  He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how.  The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.  But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”  And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth,  yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” - Mark 4:26-32 ESV

Pastor Won Ho Kim

The audience, first century Jews, is expecting a kingdom. Jesus' disciples were expecting a kingdom as well. But they were expecting to see a new political, physical kingdom. When Judas betrays Jesus, they draw their swords. But Jesus tells them to put away their swords. This kingdom does not come from force, power, influence, or numbers. It is a different kind of kingdom.

Who grows the kingdom

Jesus talks about a farmer sowing seeds. He emphasizes certain things in His story. Jesus says that this farmer sows and goes to bed. This farmer sleeps night and day. He says the farmer does not make the seed grow. The farmer only sows the seed. The power that causes germination and growth is in the seed, not the farmer. The power of the kingdom is not in the farmer. God establishes and builds the kingdom.

How the kingdom grows

The kingdom only needs the word. Our work is relatively unimportant. The farmer sleeps. We are not supposed to be lazy, but for all of our labors, only God gives fruit to our labors.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. - Psalm 127:1 ESV

We do very ordinary work along with providing the Word of God. Somehow, the Word works without the need of eloquence or charisma.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. - Isaiah 55:10-11 ESV

How big the kingdom grows

Jesus talks about the mustard seed as an analogy of the kingdom of God. The seed is small, but it grows pretty big. Big enough for a bird to perch and to provide shade.

The emphasis is on the growth. Jesus is saying that from this small group of disciples with come something impossibly enormous. From humble beginnings, there will come something of a humbling scale.

The radical call of the ordinary Christian

While they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”  To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”  Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”- Luke 9:57-62 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Our generation wants to do extraordinary and radical things. We often diminish ordinary things and lives. But God works through ordinary church life and the ordinary everyday tasks in our lives.

The other side of things is those who are lazy and comfortable. They are on the other extreme, looking to take the easy way.

But the life that God calls is to is radical and challenging. It may often not look that way; it is pretty normal looking from the outside in. We are called to radical devotion and sacrifice.

What kind of life does Christ call us to?

Great cost and sacrifice

Jesus tells a man that the Son of Man has no place to lay His head. This is the equivalent of leaving a high five hanging in the air. A man says he will follow Jesus. Jesus tells the man that there would be no worldly home for him. That we could lose out on riches, promotions, and comfortable lifestyles. Following Jesus will ostracize you from close friends and family because you are changed when you follow Him. They will be struck by the fact that you are no longer the same person they once knew.

"I had motives for not wanting the world to have a meaning; consequently assumed that it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with a problem in metaphysics, he is also concerned to prove that there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do, or why his friends should not seize political power and govern in the way that they find most advantegous to themselves... For myself, the philosophy of meaningless was essentially an instrument of liberation, sexual and political." -- Aldous Huxley in Ends and Means

Jesus has first priority in your life period.

Jesus calls a man to follow Him. And then tells the man to proclaim to kingdom rather than bury his father. There is question about whether this man's father is dead or dying. We are not to take this as abolishing our command to honor our parents, but rather we are to obey Jesus far and above any other call in our lives.

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.- Luke 14:26 ESV

By putting God first, we find satisfaction and contentment in Him alone. Then in that state, we can more fully love and serve those close to us. We can love and serve without need of their affirmation and reciprocation. Unconditional love because God's love fills us.

Keeping kingdom focused, even at the cost of your life

You cannot plow a straight lines if you keep looking in various directions. Saying goodbye to friends and family is not a problem, being distracted from being kingdom focused is. We are called to live lives focused on kingdom growth and proclamation.

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. - Luke 9:23-24 ESV

We are to give up those worldly things that drew us before Christ. And when time passes, as we go to work in the kingdom of God, to give them up again and again.

“The kingdom of heaven  is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy  he goes and sells all that he has and  buys that field.
Matthew 13:44 ESV

In doing this, in all the demands on our lives, we will find joy and life everlasting. But more than that, this is intensely personal for Jesus, for He gave everything up for us first. We will gladly give up all these things for what God will give us is worth much more than these things.

Enter into the joy of our Master

“For  it will be like a man  going on a journey, who called his servants  and entrusted to them his property.  To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.  He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.  So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.  But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.  Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’  And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’  He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed,  so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’  But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?  Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.  So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.  For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Matthew 25:14-30 ESV

http://bible.com/59/mat.25.14-30.ESV

Pastor Paul Park

This parable is located between the parable of the ten virgins and the sheep & the goats. These two talk of salvation and readiness of the coming salvation.

The parable of the talents tells us that we are not our own masters. God is our master. We own nothing, we are caretakers and stewards. Perhaps it would be better to be called a slave. We, as Christians, are bought at a price, the blood of Christ. Do you see your life as purchased by Christ and not your own? Grace means that we owe everything to God. We desire to be our own masters, but we are not.

Talents are not innate talent, but rather large sums of money. 5 talents is worth 75 years of wages. 2 talents is 30 years and 1 talent is 15 years of wages. All of then were given large sums of money. They were all given an opportunity to invest in the kingdom. The Master gave them all an opportunity and then He left. Do you feel the opportunity and the duty? To be able to serve the church? To have relationships that can build up the kingdom?

To those who feel insufficient, everyone in the parable was given some money to invest. But we are all given the opportunity, whether big or small. Each of us is given something with which to serve. Do not look at the one with five talents with envy, just take the gift you have been given and use it. We are given different gifts with which to serve.

The attitude of the servants is one of eager faithfulness. The first servant runs off to make more and so does the second. The last servant was fearful, but not the reverent fear. This was a bad kind of fear. He didn't seem to do anything wrong, but yet he is not commended. He was concerned with not doing anything wrong. He is the picture of the Church goer/pew-warmer. They come to church service and try to avoid sin, but they do not serve or build the kingdom. This is the heart of one who does not know God intimately and one who does not and is not saved.

So which of the servants are you? Are we eagerly ready to serve Him? Do we share in the joy of the Master? Are we saved or not? If we are, then we should be eager to serve Christ and grow His kingdom. Conversely, if we are not eager, do we know the Master?