Stand Low

Pastor Mark preaches from Daniel 4 on what happens when main character energy meets the Most High. Nebuchadnezzar's testimony shows the devastating work of pride: the king looks at his kingdom and says, "Look at what I have built," only to be brought low until he learns that God rules the kingdoms of men. Mark calls the church to recognize God's disruptive grace when he disturbs our comfort as a warning, God's severe grace when pride must be dealt with as a severe problem, and God's pure grace when he enables us to look up, confess his dominion, our smallness, and his freedom, and worship. The sermon ends by pointing beyond Nebuchadnezzar to Christ: Nebuchadnezzar tried to raise himself and was forced down, but Christ chose to lower himself to raise us up.

00:00 Scripture Reading - Daniel 4

04:39 Opening Prayer

05:13 Welcome and Church Family Updates

09:25 Stand Low: Main Character Energy Meets the Most High

10:42 Nebuchadnezzar's Second Dream

14:06 Daniel 4 Begins with the End

15:29 The Dream, Warning, and Humbling

19:14 Nebuchadnezzar Restored to Worship

20:07 The Devastating Work of Pride

21:15 How Does God Work Humility Into Us?

21:48 God Gives Disruptive Grace as a Warning

24:35 Disruptive Grace Calls Us to Repent

29:55 How Daniel Warned the King

33:36 God's Patience and Nebuchadnezzar's Delay

39:00 Disruption Turns Into Interruption

39:47 Pride Produces Functional Atheism

41:54 Pride Tries to Be Superhuman but Becomes Subhuman

43:29 God Gives Severe Grace for a Severe Problem

45:50 God Touches What Pride Rests On

49:08 God Gives Pure Grace to Look Up

52:59 Humility Begins with Pure Grace

54:09 Pure Grace Leads to Confession and Worship

55:18 Christ Lowered Himself to Raise Us Up

56:11 What Grace Is Working Humility in You?

57:11 Closing Prayer