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Sermon Title: In the second year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him and drove away his sleep. Daniel 2: 1–23

My dear brother and sister in our Lord Christ, welcome all of you to the fold of our living eternal God, in beloved South Sudan. On this blessed morning by God’s grace for His chosen people from eternity, I hope you are doing well. My beloved brothers in Christ our Lord, I am pleased first to remind you of this grace from the Holy Bible, as you prepare to accept it in your eternal life from the spiritual side, through faith and trust in the eternal everlasting Jesus Christ our Lord.

A brief note on the sermon title: “In the second year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him and drove away his sleep.” As the Holy Bible points out in Daniel 2: 1–3, which say:

1. In the second year of King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams that troubled him and drove away his sleep.
2. So the king commanded that the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers be summoned to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king,
3. he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles me, and my spirit will not rest until I know the dream and its meaning.”

Not only this, but the Bible also speaks to us under the title: The Failure of the Magicians and Astrologers in Daniel 2: 4–11, which say:

4. Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “May the king live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”
5. The king replied, “This is my firm decree: If you do not tell me the dream and interpret it, you will be cut into pieces and your houses turned into rubble.
6. But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive gifts, rewards, and great honor from me. So tell me the dream and its interpretation.”
7. Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”
8. Then the king answered, “I know for certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided:
9. If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty for you. You have conspired to mislead me with lies until the situation changes. So tell me the dream, and then I will know that you can interpret it.”
10. The astrologers answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer.
11. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live among humans.”

The Order to Kill the Magicians and Astrologers (Daniel 2: 12–16):

12. This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon.
13. So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.
14. When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact.
15. He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel.
16. At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.

The Revelation of the Dream to Daniel (Daniel 2: 17–18):

17. Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
18. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Daniel’s Prayer of Thanksgiving (Daniel 2: 19–23):

19. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven
20. and said: “Praise be to the name of God forever and ever; wisdom and power are his.
21. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.
22. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.
23. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.” Also, the Bible teaches us about truth and justice in society, which we find in Micah 6: 8: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

And also in Revelation 1: 3: “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.”

And in Daniel 12: 3: “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

In conclusion, my beloved brothers: May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

The writer is an elder in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He can be reached via the following numbers or email: WhatsApp: 0913360885 / 0981540275 Email: johndour268@gmail.com