Tough as Nails Part 4

Ice Breaker: What is your favorite late night snack? Daniel 5:1-4 King Belshazzar has a great feast for a thousand of his lords. He drank wine in front of the 1000, and when he tasted it, he sent for the vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem. So they did and his lords, wives, and concubine all drank out of the cups and praised the gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Immediately fingers of a human hand appears and writes something on the wall. This unnerves the king, his color changed, (it was like he had seen a ghost). He started yelling for all his enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologer to come tell him what it meant. He offered a reward to whoever could explain it to him purple clothing, a gold chain, and to be the 3rd ruler of the kingdom. But, no one can tell him what it means. So then the queen speaks up and tells him about Daniel, who in the King’s father’s days that had the spirit of the holy gods, a man who had light, understanding, and wisdom like the wisdom of gods, who because of his ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems was made chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers. So Daniel comes in and the king explains to him his situation and offers the reward to Daniel, to which Daniel says “let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another, nevertheless I will read interpret the writing for you. Daniel starts out by explaining that the Most High God gave his father the kingship, greatness, and glory, and it was because of that Most High God that the nations trembled and feared before him. Then Daniel tells him how his pride grew and how God humbled him by making him like a beast of the field who lived with the wild donkeys, and ate grass like ox, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. Then Daniel says “And you his son, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, but you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven” You brought the vessels of his house in before you and you all drank out of them praising the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways you have not honored. Then Daniel translates and interprets the writing on the wall. Mene: God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end Tekel: You have been weighed in the balance and found wanting Peres(Pee rez): Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes (meeds) and Persians. That night King Belshazzar the Chaldean was killed, and Darius the Mede who was about 62 received the kingdom. 1st Question: Belshazzar failed the test and was found in pride and worshiping idols. What are common idols in our culture today? Where your money is, there will your heart be also. Houses 32.8% Groceries 8.6% Healthcare 8.1% Utilities 6.6% Living Expenses 56.1% Cars 15.9% Dinning Out 5.6% Entertainment 5.6% Apparel 3% Gifts 2.2% Consumer Electronics 2 Alcohol & Tobacco 1.4 Travel Lodging 1.4 Toys and Hobbies 1.3 How have you seen some of these common idols effect your life or relationship with God? Why is it so hard to live as if our days are numbered? Does our culture emphasis living for the moment or living with purpose? Why or Why not? Thinking about how God is weighing what we do with our day let’s look at Hebrews 9:27 (And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment) & 2 Corinthians 5:10 (For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.) If we live with the understanding that our days are numbered and one day our lives will be weighed by the Lord, how might that change the way we live? A life not numbered and out of balance, is eventually divided. How might a di