“I will lift up mine eyes unto heaven!” by Rev Samuel Mametsa, Sunday Service, the 18th of November 2012.

18 November 2012 Sun Rev S Mametsa I WILL LIFT MINE EYES UNTO THE LORD

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Scripture reading: Daniel 4:28-37 “28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. 30 The king spoke, saying, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” 31 While the word was still in the king’s mouth, a voice fell from heaven: “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you! 32 And they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. They shall make you eat grass like oxen; and seven times shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” 33 That very hour the word was fulfilled concerning Nebuchadnezzar; he was driven from men and ate grass like oxen; his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws. Nebuchadnezzar Praises God 34 And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him,”What have You done?” 36 At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.” Daniel 4:28-37, NKJV.

God wants us to know about this man King Nebuchadnezzar who was a king. It is important for us to know how important and miraculous our God is, the king that we are talking about was a powerful king and he was the one who built Babylon. The bible says he moved around in Babylon and he looked around all the corners of Babylon and he started boasting about what he has done. He said “…”Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?” Dan 4:30, NKJV.

The king forgot that God is above his authority; he boasted and angered God. God said addressed Him that “Oh King Nebuchadnezzar at this very hour your kingship is taken away from you.” The bible says Dan 4:31 “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!” NKJV. God respected king Nebuchadnezzar and when He visited him He addressed king. What made God angry with him was when the king boasted about his own power forgetting that it is not by his power but that it was God who enabled him.

Many people are failing to receive blessings because they are boasting about their power forgetting that the power comes from God. They speak about their power and about the power of God. To me King Nebuchadnezzar blasphemed the Lord. In whatever that the Lord has given to you, whatever it may be, you have no right to stand up and say “It is mine!” When you born you came out like a child with nothing in your hand, so you are in no positions to say “This is mine!” You are facing God to respond and He will respond. The voice came from heaven “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!” Dan 4:31, NKJV.

The bible says “…”God resists the proud,” James 4:6, NKJV. When you boast you are forcing God to respond and God will respond. Why did God take away King Nebuchadnezzar‘s kingship?

God wanted to prove to him that whatever that he had achieved in Babylon was from God and that it was up to God to take it from him. King Nebuchadnezzar was full of proud words and the bible says when he was still boasting the words came from heaven and said “Oh king, all your kingship is taken away.” “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has departed from you!” Dan 4:31, NKJV. And according to my understanding I think the king was happy when he heard the voice from heaven talking to him because he didn’t know what that voice was going to say to him. The voice started by giving him respect as a king. The word of God didn’t say the kingdom is “Going to be taken away” but God said right now “The kingdom has been taken away”. The voice was very clear saying that the kingdom had been taken away.

The bible says “You king Nebuchadnezzar, with that kingship in you; you will become the king of the animals.” The bible tells us that voice told the king that he will be driven out. The question today is “Where is your kingdom?” “Has your kingdom been taken away?” Some people`s kingdoms have been taken away from them. The bible says God cursed the king for seven years. So even you if God is to curse you He won’t curse you forever but He will put a certain time to give you time to repent.

There are some people who are rich, who have everything but they forget that there is someone who has all the riches; they boast about what they have. God resists the pride that is why king Nebuchadnezzar was made to live like animals. The bible says immediately after the voice came from above he started to eat like a cow. God proved to the king that even with all your riches and possessions I can control them because they are from Me.

When God came down all things that were owned by the king started to obey the orders from heaven. Why did God allow the dew to cover the king? He did not make it rain but He allowed the dew to cover the king. God allowed dew to cover him so that his hairs could grow. If God didn’t allow the hair to grow quickly he would have not survived the weather out there so his skin needed to be changed to that of animals. God wanted to prove to the king that all authority belongs to Him.

What pleases me is that the bible says that at the end of seven years king Nebuchadnezzar lifted his eyes to heaven. You can do whatever that you do but, the time will come when you will lift up your eyes to the right person at the right place, the one who is above everything. The king was tired of living like animals then he chooses to look unto the person who created everything the one who is in heaven. Nebuchadnezzar knew that someone supernatural is up there. Psalm121:1 “I will lift up my eyes to the hills — From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.” Psalm121:1, NKJV.

If you have lost something and “you look” up your understanding and senses will come back. Maybe you are delayed to prophesy because you are looking down; the time is now that you need to lift up your eyes to heaven. When you are looking up you can say “God, you are holy”, you cannot say God is holy when you are facing down. King Nebuchadnezzar lifted his eyes to heaven and exalted God, giving Him praises. There are people who take time to prophesy, there are some people who are waiting for their situations to force them to prophesy.

God wants to show us that we are all equal and that He is the only one sited in the throne. The bible says humble yourself and God will lift you up, if you are full of pride God will resist you. “12 Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.” Prov 18:12, NKJV. Nebuchadnezzar prophesied to God because he received the wisdom so that he could realise that he had to look up. Our God is full of mercy, He can punish you but He will be merciful. At the end of seven years the king realised that he was fighting the wrong person.

No kingdom that fights God and remain standing or last for a long time because that same kingdom has no wisdom. There is no one who can question God or who can stop God from doing what He is doing. When God wants to do something He doesn’t first ask for people`s opinions; He does it His own way and no one on earth can stop Him.

After the king realised and acknowledged that it is only God who is above all, all his possessions were restored back to him and he was made king again. If you are boastful God will pull you down like what happened to the king Nebuchadnezzar. I don’t know which kingdom you are belonging to, but what I can assure you is that if that kingdom is lacking God it is going to fall. It doesn’t matter how powerful your kingdom may be but if it is without God it is going to fall. What God is trying to show us is that even people who are rich like king Nebuchadnezzar can be brought down; He wants to show that everything belong to Him.

Everything that you are having does not belong to you; they belong to God. If you want God to protect you, you must obey Him and follow His commandments.

When Nebuchadnezzar was praising God, God was restoring and increasing what belonged to him.