What happens when we forget who’s really in charge? King Nebuchadnezzar’s story in Daniel 4 is a cautionary tale of pride and the humbling power of God. After a dream warning him of his impending downfall, Nebuchadnezzar continues in his arrogance, boasting about his greatness. God humbles him dramatically, reducing him to live like a beast for seven years. Yet his story doesn’t end in despair; it ends in restoration as Nebuchadnezzar acknowledges God’s sovereignty and praises Him as the true King. This chapter teaches us that pride blinds us to God’s authority and that humility is the key to experiencing His grace. How often do we build kingdoms of our own making, forgetting the One who rules over all? This message will challenge you to identify areas of pride in your life and invite God to lead you in humility. It’s a call to trust God’s authority over your plans, successes, and failures, knowing that He works all things together for His glory and our good.

God is able to humble those who walk in pride to fulfill his redemptive plan in our lives.

Genesis 3:5 – God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.

Isaiah 14:12-14 – “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning!...For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars…I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’”

1 John 2:16 – For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

Matthew 20:26-27 – But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.

Luke 14:11 – For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

"According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind."

-C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

Daniel 4:30 – As he looked out across the city, he said, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.’

Daniel 5:20 – But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory.

1 John 1:8 – If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.

Ex. Pharisee and Publican

Luke 18:11-12 – The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’

Ex. Good Samaritan

Luke 10:31-32 – “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.

"Now what you want to get clear is that Pride is essentially competitive – is competitive by its very nature – while the other vices are competitive only, so to speak, by accident. Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better-looking than others. If every one else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking there would be nothing to be proud about. It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone."

-C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

James 4:10 – Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Daniel 4:27 – ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, please accept my advice. Stop sinning and do what is right. Break from your wicked past and be merciful to the poor. Perhaps then you will continue to prosper.’

2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 

Romans 2:4 – Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

Parable of the Fig Tree – Luke 13:6-9

Daniel 4:33 – That same hour the judgment was fulfilled, and Nebuchadnezzar was driven from human society. He ate grass like a cow, and he was drenched with the dew of heaven. He lived this way until his hair was as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails were like birds’ claws.

Ex. Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:4 – Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

Luke 18:14 – For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

1 Peter 5:5-6 – And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.

Daniel 4:34 – After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal.

Hebrews 12:10-11 – For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

1 Peter 5:10 –  In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

Job 14:7-9 – At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant.