When Kings Collide | Senior Pastor Kenneth Carpenter

If you have your Bibles, if you would meet me in the book of Daniel. The book of Daniel, chapter number one and verse number one. Praise God. So good to see such an awesome crowd of people here for a midweek service. You know something? When your auditorium is just practically filled tonight on a midweek on a midweek service, it says a lot for the people that are here. It's often been said that people come to church on Sunday morning because they love their church. It's often been said people come to church on Sunday night because they love their pastor. But it's also been said people come on Wednesday night because they love the Lord. If that is true, there's a lot of people that love the Lord here tonight. And I believe I'm looking at a group of people that love that love him this evening. Did you enjoy the children's choir opening up tonight? Wasn't that great? Wasn't that great? I thought those ladies getting nervous when those little children started running around. I thought they're just acting like we do. Don't get on to them. They take off running. They They're just acting like we do. one, brother Ben. And they uh they just act like they sack like we do. Thank God. Well, if you have your Bibles and you've met me in the book of Daniel, chapter number one, in verse number one, in the third year of the reign of Jehookim, king of Judah, came Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehookim, king of Judah, into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Siar to the house of his God, and brought the vessels into the treasure house of his God. On this Wednesday evening, for a few moments tonight, I want to see if I can open your heart. you'd receive the word of God. But I want to preach on this simple subject tonight. When kings collide. When kings collide. Father, we love you tonight. Lord, I thank you for this privilege and opportunity to feed your people. Lord, may we have a healthy hunger and appetite for your word tonight. Lord, I ask you tonight that you would anoint my mind. Give me the ability to articulate. Lord, give me the ability tonight to implant the word of God into these people's hearts. That Lord, we would leave here and we would be the church that you've called us to be. In Jesus mighty name, we all pray. Everybody said, "Amen." Everybody give a hand clap offering before you're seated tonight. Give a hand clap offering before you're seated tonight. Oh, great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. You know, the Bible says that we the church are a number of things. The Bible says that we the church that we are the light of the world. We're the light of the world. A light is used because of darkness. It is used because of the darkness. A light is used for guidance. A light is used for illumination. So tonight I could say that the church, one of our purposes is that we are called by God to be a light to a dark world. We are called by God to be a light of illumination to help people to see the goodness of our God. We are we are used. We are we are a light. You say, "Well, it's a it's dark in this world." That's exactly right. That's why we're called the light of this world. But we're not only called the light of the world. We're called the salt of the earth. One one place in scripture were referred to the church, God's people is referred to as the salt of the earth. And we know that in that day, salt was used to preserve. It was placed on meat. It was placed as a preservative to keep the corruption from coming in. And I'm I'm going to tell you, as corrupt as this world is, if it wasn't for the presence of the church, it would be far worse than what it is right now. And that's that's hard to imagine that, friend. But the church, praise God, we're a light to a dark world. We're a guidance to a dark world. We're an illumination to a dark world, those that are living in darkness, but we're also a preservative. We are preserving the ways of God. Thank God for the church. We're called to preserve the right ways of God. We're called to walk uprightly before God. But not only are we called the light of the world, not only are we called the salt of the earth, but we're also said to be a city, a city, a functioning city, a functioning city that is set, we're not just a functioning city. We're not just a city that functions, but we're also a city that is set on a hill. It's a city that is set on a hill. Now, as you study um the Bible days and you study cities and why would a city be set on a hill and the number one purpose the number one purpose and I know you study now if you if you I if if if you Google cities set on a hill and why are cities on hills today or or or maybe a hundred years ago, why did they build cities on hills? They will talk they will talk to you about flooding. They they will talk to you they didn't build cities in low-lying places because they would flood and they would build a city up on a up on a hill. You'll notice even our own city here, Miraville, the main what we call the old town downtown old town Maraveville is built on a ridge. It's built on a on a ridge and primarily it's for water for flooding to run run off. But not in the Bible days when Jesus said the church is a city set on a hill. A city set on a hill was there for defense. It was there in case it was ever attacked. It would have the advantage. It would have the advantage of being on the higher ground. You would have you would have an advantage over the enemy. You would have number one, you would have a watchman on the wall that although you were a city on a hill, you would have a wall and you would have a watchman on the wall and you would have the advantage of seeing the enemy from a far off. You could prepare. But not only that, if the enemy would by chance try to rush the city, you would fight the enemy from the advantage point of the higher ground. I am thankful tonight to be in the church of the living God that is a light to a lost and a dark and a dying world. I'm thankful for being a part of something that is illuminating the goodness of God and showing people just how just how good God is. I'm glad tonight to be in a church that's a preservative. We are not allowing the culture to rot away at our morals. We're not allowing the culture to change the church of the living God. And I'm glad tonight to be on the high ground of which the gates of hell shall not prevail. If you find yourself being defeated a lot, I got some advice for you tonight. You ought to come get in the church because if you get in the church, you're going to get on the high ground. You're going to have the advantage against you're going to have the advantage against the enemy. When we read in the book of Daniel, it's very interesting in the first two chapters. I'd like to introduce you to two kings, two kings of which I derive my title tonight, when kings collide. The first king that I'll introduce you to is Jehookim. He is the king of Judah. He is the king of Judah. Jehookim. As a matter of fact, Jehookum's name standing alone simply means simply means Jehovah raises up. Jehovah raises up. That's what Jehookam's name means. Jehovah, God raises or rises up. But then when you place that he is not only Jehookim but you place that he is the king of Judah and you slide Judah's name over beside Jehookum you now have Jehovah raises up praise. Jehovah raises up praise. Do you know that we are the praise of God? We are the praise of God. God doesn't praise himself. That would make God an egotist. God doesn't brag on himself. But yet, God raises you and I up. And oh, don't we brag on God. If you know God, you'll brag on him. If you don't know him, you won't know what I'm talking about. But if you know God, oh, you can't help but say, "He's a good God." I I tell you, there's nothing like God. When people start bragging about new things in life, you'll begin to say, "Oh, there's just nothing like there's nothing like the Lord." So Jehookum, Jehookum means Jehovah Jehovah raises up and then we make him we make him the king of Judah and it means that Jehookim raises up praise. Now the second king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar his name simply means a false god of Nebo. A false god of Nebo. He was a Babylonian god. Nebo was a Babylonian god. He was a Babylonian false god. And uh he was the god of wisdom. And he was the god of writing or he was the god of history. All right? He was the false god. Now you gota you got to understand getting coming right out of the gate. He's a false god. All right? And behind a false god is a fallen angel by the name of Lucifer. False gods are the image and the imagination and the invention of man. Man produces this false god. This false god who is neibo. This this Babylonian false god. And evidently this false god promised to give you wisdom. This false god promised to give you to give you a certain wisdom of how of how to go. And not only that, he was the false god of writing or he was the false god of history. He was the false god of history. And of course, that's very interesting because I don't really believe that Satan wants a lot of his products and people that push his products. I don't really believe that he wants their history to be looked into because their history isn't very pretty. They don't live long. They don't have happy lives. And so, Satan just wants to give you snippets of what he can produce. He doesn't want to give you a longevity of a man's life. If if Satan has a man in his palm, if Satan has a puppet, he doesn't want to give you a longevity of his life because it's not a pretty it's not a it doesn't it doesn't end well with them as it says it shall be well with the righteous. He's got to give you a few snippets of of his life. And very quickly, you'll notice this come to my mind. You you you will notice this that when Satan was tempting Jesus, he took him to a high mountain and he showed him all the kingdoms of this world in a moment of time quickly. He showed him all the kingdoms of of the world in a moment of time and then he enticed him. You see, Satan just wants to give you snippets of what he falsely will will will promise you of joy and peace and contentment. But he he he is he is a he's the the the god this is Nebuchadnezzar uh Nebo false god of wisdom and writing and then slide his other title over Babylon just like we took Jehookum Jehovah rises up but he's Jehookum of Judah you slide praise there Jehovah raises up praise now we have Nebuchadnezzar the god of Nebo and he is the king he is the king he is the king of Babylon well Babylon the simple definition of Babylon and the history of Babylon the definition of Babylon is confusion confusion brought about by mixing it's confusion that's brought about by mixing something together he became became the king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Now the history tells us that these two kings collided. These two kings collided. The king of Judah and the king of Babylon. God, let me tell you, the only reason that God allowed the king of Babylon to conquer the king and the people of Judah was for God had a purpose. God had a purpose. God's people had went wayward on him. God's people had turned back to the ways of Egypt. And God allowed Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, the king of confusion, to come against Jehookim, the king of Judah. And God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take captive out of Jerusalem and take all the way back to Babylon. He allowed him to take his people, a certain amount of his people. If you will, if you will remember with me, if you will remember with me when we read verses 1 and two that he not only took certain of the people, but in verse two, the Bible says with part of the vessels of the house of God, he carried into the land of Siar. So he not only went into Jerusalem and took God's people captive, but he also went into the temple and took, we know that he took vessels of silver and vessels of gold. All right? He took things of value. He took vessels of silver. As a matter of fact, this is unbelievable. But when you read the book of Ezra, you read the book of Ezra where several kings later, several heathen kings later allowed those captive vessels along with those captive people to go back to their land and to rebuild because God has seen that they have learned their lesson. And God has seen that in captivity they have learned their lesson. And God allows what had been taken into captivity to be brought back out of captivity. I want to stop here for a moment and tell you this. Just because you were free and you've allowed yourself to get into bondage doesn't mean that you're going to stay in that bondage. If you'll turn to God with all your heart, God will bring you back out of bondage and he'll bring you back to the place that you need to be. Aren't you glad for restoration? Aren't you thankful that Yes. So, so now he brings them down. He brings them down to Babylon. Now you have to understand that the king of Babylon has a plan for the captives. He has a plan for the captives. Now the plan starts off this plan starts off he has a three-year the Nebuchadnezzar has a three-year training for them. As a matter of fact he told the prince of the Unix he told his scouts. He said, "Be on the lookout for young men and young women that are without blemish. Be on the lookout. Be on the lookout for people that we can re-educate in the tongue of the Chaldans. Be on the lookout for people that we could. We don't want to kill them all. We don't want to kill them all because we want to take them and we want to deprogram them and reprogram them to think like a Babylonian. We want them to start thinking like Babylonians. We we want them to start acting. And not only that, he even he even introduced that there would be a change of name. They would change their names. You're very familiar. You're very familiar with this. Uh this three-year training for them would include uh the changing of their food, the changing of their names, and the changing of their education. It was an effort to indoctrinate the captives. Now, I want you to know that just as God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, so is Satan. It is Satan's plan, and it's always been. He wants to indoctrinate you to think like him. He wants to indoctrinate you to his ways and to his will. And so it it began uh the king Nebuchadnezzar, he said, "Be on the lookout for men and women that we can train in our tongue, that we can train in our science, that we can teach them the learning of the tongue and the ways and the ways of the Chaldans." And here is the food for three years. And you will train them for three years. Now go to chapter 1 verse number six. It simply says, "Now among these were the ch of the children of Israel were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishiel, and Aariah. Unto whom the prince of the Unix gave names. He gave unto Daniel the name of Beltichazer, and to Haniah the name of Shadrach, and to Mishel the name of Mach, and to Azeriah the name of Abedneo." Now, I want you to notice something about this. Their original Hebrew names had meanings that connected them to their God. I'll just I'll just want to go quickly tonight, but I'll just tell you very quickly. Each of their names connected them to their God. Their names connected them to the true and the living God. Their names reminded them every time their mother called them to get up in the morning, every time their father told them to come in, every time they heard their name, they were reminded of the Hebrew God that they served. They were reminded of Jehovah. So the first thing they did in Babylon was to change their names. And is it is it any wonder tonight that we find that the names that the Chaldans gave them or the Babylonians gave them were names that identified them to false gods. That's not nothing new, right? Every time you heard that Chaldian name, you were reminded of a Babylonian Chaldian false god. Now, it's interesting tonight because Daniel here in a a couple of verses, you're going to see something about him. Uh they they didn't refuse the Chaldian names. They didn't refuse what people would call them. They did not refuse. They didn't say, "Oh, don't call me that. Call me this." They never refuse that. And I think the I think the meaning behind that is it doesn't matter what they call you as long as you know who you are. Oh, if I was able to sing like Pastor Ericson, I'd start off right now with I know who I am. I know who I am. That wonderful tonight. It doesn't matter what the world says about YOU. COME ON. DOESN'T MATTER WHAT they call you or what they say about you. You are not what they call you. You are who you know that you are. I am a child of the God. YOU'RE A HYPOCRITE. I'M a child of the most high God. You ain't nothing but trash. I'm a treasure IN THE HAND OF ALMIGHTY GOD. CALL ME WHAT YOU want to. Oh, I wish YOU'D HELP ME PREACH RIGHT NOW. CALL ME WHAT you want to. I am a child of the most high God as long as long as I know as long as I know who I am. But now let's go down to verse number eight. But Daniel, look at these three. Look at these words right here. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore, he requested of the princes of the Unix that he might not defile. That word defile there means stain himself. You You see, little things matter. Can't you hear? Don't you know if we were probably alive back then, don't you know there would be some even in this group tonight, they they would be some of you all there'd be some of you all tonight that would be saying it's just a little food. Well, it's just a little bit of meat. Well, it's just a little bit of wine. I can hear people now. You're not going to get drunk. It's just a little bit. Can I tell you something? We're in the mess we are with sin because it was just a little bit of fruit off of a little bit of a tree. Oh, I hope you get that right now. Get your mind off a whole lot of sin and get your mind on a little sin. Get your mind off of a whole lot of disobedience and get your mind on a little bit of OB. Do do you know what every heroin addict has in common tonight? They first started smoking marijuana. Do you know what every alcoholic with liquor has in common tonight? They first started drinking beer. Now, if that's not 100% true, I believe it would be 99.99999. Like that car salesman told us at that time, 999. We pulled up at I'm just telling you something. We pulled up at a car lot one night and we asked the man, we said, "How much is that car there?" And he said 29 9999. I think I get it, sir. I think I Now, if that statement I just made about marijuana and beer is not 100% true, wouldn't y'all believe it'd probably be 99.99999999? Well, what's a little marijuana going to hurt you? Little marijuana leads to a lot of marijuana. What's a little beer going to hurt? What's a little suck going to hurt me? What's a little can going to hurt me? One can leads to a six-pack, and a six-pack leads to a liquor bottle. Y'all know where I'm going tonight. You You You see, Daniel purposed in his heart. He said, "I I'm not going to stain myself. I'm not going It's just a little bit." You see over in the Bible in Leviticus 11 through15, it talked about meat I was to eat and meat I was not to eat. BUT NOTICE THIS, HE PURPOSED in his heart. He purposed in his heart. You know, we would all do ourselves a world of good to get ready for temptation. We would we would do our a world of good when there's issues that we know are coming. Why don't we go ahead and get ready for those issues right now? For example, dating in the faith. It is not God. It is not God's will that God's children date out of the faith. It's it's not God's will. And so, we ought to we ought to put that in our children from little bitty ch from little children all the way up so that when THE TEMPTATION COMES, NOT I DIDN'T SAY IF the temptation comes. I SAID WHEN the temptation comes that they'll be able to get. Let me tell you something. Daniel didn't wait for them to drop the fried pork in front of him. He didn't wait for them TO BRING THE BOTTLE of wine in front of him. HE BEFORE THEY EVER GOT IT OUT OF the oven. He was saying, "I'm going to purpose in my heart that I will not defile myself." And I'm not so sure as I read and studied these scriptures today that Daniel didn't talk to that unic and Daniel didn't say to that unic, look, I know you may not understand this and I know this may be hard for you to understand, but the God that I serve and the God that I WORSHIP AND THE GOD THAT I WANT TO please has told us in his word, I know you don't understand the book, but he's told us in his word not to eat this certain kind of meat. HE'S TOLD US IN his word. You You know, I just believe that we may be more of a witness to a world if we can try our best to explain to the world why we don't do some things that they may consider not sin at all or just a little sin instead of just saying, "Well, that's the way the church believes and that's the way my pastor believes and that's the way it takes to get in the choir and I just do this to get up in the choir." you're getting ready for a fall. You need to be able to stand up and say, "I don't do this because of that. I don't do this because I don't want TO DO THIS." OH, EVERYTHING THAT you're asked not to do IS NOT NECESSARILY THE END RESULT. You got to say this will lead TO THAT AND THAT WILL LEAD TO THIS AND SO I WOULD RATHER RE REFRAIN FROM THAT. Come on. How am I doing tonight? Am I doing all right tonight? These two kings collided. And notice this. The Bible said he requested. He requested. He had a conversation, brother Hammond. He had a conversation. He was ready to give an answer of the hope that was in him. He began to talk to this unic about this is the reason that that I that I don't want to do this and this these are the ways of our God. Please, I I don't want to stain myself. I don't want to defile myself. You see, the the the problem today is church, don't ever buy into Satan's tools that we're never going to win the world to be we've become like the world. Because if the church becomes like the world, why would the world ever want to become like the church? You see, there's a right and there's a wrong. There's a right way and there's a wrong way. Who requested? Please, the God that we serve has asked us not to eat this meat. The God that we serve has asked us not to do this. Please, I I don't want to defile. I I don't want to stain myself. Now look at verse number nine. Now God had brought Daniel into love into favor and tender love with the prince of the Unix. Can I tell you? I believe that when we the church live right that God gives us favor with sinners. I believe now all sinners are sinners. Let me tell you something. All sinners are sinners. And you'll probably want to ask me to explain this more after church and I will. All sinners are sinners, but all sinners are not necessarily evil. There's people that are sinners that are against righteousness. And there's sinners that just they just they just don't know. They just don't know. Boy, I wouldn't want to be a sinner that's against the church. Man, that's the old saying, biting the hand that feeds you. I just I just wouldn't want to be I just wouldn't want to be I just wouldn't want to be a sinner that way. I I uh the church is the light. Did I tell you it's the light? Then I spend a little time at the beginning of the service. What is the church? What are we? A light in a dark. If people are going to come out of the light. We don't need a dark light. We need a flashlight. Because the world's dark, we're not going to become like the world because we are the light of the world. Right? Did Did I Did I tell you a moment ago we are the salt of the earth? That means we are in a time of moral deprivity. We're in a time of moral decay. We're in a time of rot in our nation. What's the church supposed to be? Is the church supposed to be a mirror of the society, the mirror of the culture? That's what a lot of Bible cemeteries, I mean, seminaries are teaching nowadays. All right. They're they're teaching the church has to be the c the church has to be the reflection of the of the culture. We're not going to win the culture. Well, I strongly disagree with that. We are not a reflection of the culture. We are the salt. We are the salt. We are the preservative. And I I believe with all of my heart that when we are living the way we should that God brings us into favor with yes, even sinners. Sinners can just say, you know what? I don't understand their ways. You know, I don't I I don't understand them. I I don't understand. I don't understand them. But boy, there's something about them folks I just like. Do you know that God has brought this church in this city? We are in favor with this city. We're we're in favor. I told my wife the other day, just complete strangers. I I I'll let now if I can wear my ball cap and my jogging suit, I can get through Walmart without anybody knowing who I am. All right. I I sometime back, I stood right beside Sister Ammons at Walmart. I had my ball cap on and I mean just practically right beside her at Walmart and I kept looking over at her and she looked over and and I think she thought I was some old man looking at her and she I kind of took my ball cap off. Oh boy. If I go in Walmart looking like this, just like the other morning, this complete stranger man came up. He's a business owner here in town. Come up and hugged me. He said, "We love you folks." If you you you folks are doing such a great great work. Can I tell you? Let's use the favor of God because when God gives us favor, when God gives us favor, let's go back to verse 9 for a moment. Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the prince of the Unix. The prince of the unic said unto Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink, for why should he see your faces worth lacking liking than the children which are of your sort, then you shall make me endanger my head to the king." Stop there for a moment, man. That king Nebuchadnezzar was one more cruel man. All right, that little Disney film, Off with Your Head, is not far off from how they really were. You displeased them off with your head. All right. It was a fearful thing not to follow through with what a king said. The king had said, give them wine and meat for three years. I want them fattened up. I want them looking good. I want them looking like Chowans in three years. And Daniel requested please, he makes a request. Please, we don't want to stain oursel with the meat, our God. And I I've told you that our God. But then the unic says, "Man, you're putting me between a rock and a hard spade." He said, "If you don't eat this meat and drink this wine, you're you're you're not going to look healthy. You're you're you're not going to appear healthy." And now now you notice the scripture here. Evidently, there was some of the people that come out of Judah that had no problem conforming. had no problem conforming. But aren't you thankful that there's some that come out of Judah that said, "We don't want to conform." He said, he said, he said, "You you're going to endanger my head." He said, "They're going to see you lacking. They're going to see you pale. They're going to see you not healthy looking, and that's going to that's going to endanger me to the king." Verse 11. Then said Daniel to Melar whom the prince of the uni who the whom the prince of the Unix had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Miel, and Aariah. Listen to him now. Prove thy servants I beseech thee 10 days and let them give us pulse or that's vegetables to eat and water to drink. He said, "Just prove us. Just prove us." Do Do you know tonight, and I was glad brother Hammond told me that Strong Tower was in tonight. Do you Do you know tonight, the youth of our church is the proof that we're doing something right. The proof of our church. I was never so glad years ago when the fire marshal the fire marshal we were we were we were were getting uh the school approved up on the hill and and um the fire marshal he made no bones about it and if he's listening tonight he made no bones about it I love him I pray for him but he made no bones about it he was against Christian schools as a matter of fact our first meeting up on the hill the fire marshal told me he said when I give you the grocery list and that's what he called it he said when I give you the grocery list of the things you're going to change in this building, you're going to think twice about starting a school. I later found out that his wife was a public school teacher in another county and that he believed that that children that were put into Christian schools or home schools uh were depressed and uh so uh socially an outcast and beat down and and and didn't want to communicate. And um and I told him, I called his name and I said, "You may not understand, but I feel like that God told me to start a school." And so he gave me a long list. We had change doors. We had some of you I see brother Cheshshire remember getting up in the attic and putting that firewall. Remember getting up in the attic and putting that firewall in that truss up there. Of course, you know, if you're going to work in the attic and hang sheetrock in the attic of all months, you've got, Brother Clayurn, you've got to choose the month of July. It's got to be hundred and something degrees outside that you're going to get up in the attic. Up in the attic putting sheetrock up up up in the attic. But but but he he that was his that was he said, "I'm just I'm just I'm really I I just think it's the worst thing that can happen." And years later after we were approved to have a school and he would come by, the fire marshall would come by uh every every year and check the building out again. and he would come through the come through the little cafeteria we had up there and the kids would be in there and be so loud and it was a circus in there and the kids were just having a good time. I came so close to wanting to say to him on several occasions, they're just so beat down. I'm sorry. They're just so they're so Can I tell you tonight when we are given the privilege of raising our children for God, years later they become proof positive that this is the way to raise your children. Last Friday night, I was privileged to do the ceremony for Kennedy and Brady. And uh, of course, they're both the product of the church, the church in California in the church. Kennedy uh Kennedy, her mom and dad, while they were dating, uh, they were dating, they were both baptized in in in at the church up on the hill. And and they raised their kids. I can remember prayer meetings of them bringing Kennedy and Eli and little strollers bringing them in the cold Sunday uh days to pray. And I'm going to tell you something, it pays off because Kennedy and Eli are two of a group of young people here at this church that have their heads on straight. They love God. They're sought after in the community for employment. I'm telling you, just give me a few days and we'll prove I I know I know you don't think eating what we're going to eat is going to PRODUCE HEALTHY PEOPLE, BUT JUST LET THEM FEED THEM ON THE SPIRIT OF GOD. Let's let feed them on Wednesday night and Sunday morning and Sunday NIGHT AND NYC AND YOUTH RALLIES AND AND AND and and how am I doing tonight? Am I doing all right? Did I tell you we're a city set on a hill? Did I tell you we're a light of the world? He said, he said, "Let me prove them. Let me just let's prove them." Verse number 12, "Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, 10 days, and let them give us pulse to eat and water to drink. Then let our countenance be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that ate of the portion of the king's meat. Compare us. Compare us. And as thou seeest, deal with us, sir. He said, just compare us. Just just just compare us. Said, we're going to take for 10 days and eat nothing but vegetables and drink water. You take for 10 days and feed them pork and wine. And said, at the end of 10 days, stand us in a line and just compare us. Just that's that's all that's all we ask. Just just compare. Verse 14. So he consented to this matter and proved them 10 days. Follow it closely. And at the end of the 10 days, their countenance appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than the children which did eat of the portion of the king's meat. Thus Melar took away the portion of their meat and the wine that they should drink and gave them pulse or vegetables. As for these four, as for these four, now let me stop there for a moment. As for these four children, now the proof, the old saying is the proof is in the 10 days later, they lined them all up. These 10 have been eating nothing. They've been that these have been eating nothing for 10 days but vegetables and water. And when you got them up, they were fatter. I don't know if I'd like that part. They were fatter and fair, more complexed than the others. And a heathen person, listen to this now. This is where we're getting the attention of our community. And a heathen Babylonian had to witness and say, "You are exactly right. Our greatest harvest revival will be when we can line our children up across a platform of war of the world, so to speak. And to show a city they're not beat down. They're not for long. They know what they got. They know what they're doing. They know what they want to be. Call them what you want to. Call them holy rollers. Call them Jesus only. Call them Jesus freaks. Call them whatever you want to. But they'll walk with THEIR SHOULDERS BACK. THEY'LL WALK WITH THEIR HEAD HUNG HIGH BECAUSE THEY KNOW WHO they are. But I'm not done. As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom. And Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days that the king had said that he should bring them in. Then the prince three years later now then the prince of the Unix brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them and among them all was none found. Wait a minute. Among them all was none found. Is that what that says? Among them all was none found like Daniel, Hananiah, Miel, Azariah. Therefore stood they before the king. Can I tell you that when we allow two kings to collide, the king that God raises up praise and the king of confusion, God is still the sovereign God. Don't ever don't ever lose sight of this. I DON'T CARE WHAT SETBACKS YOU'VE GOT IN YOUR LIFE. Whether you're young, middle-aged, or elderly, always remember God is in control. If you're breathing, God has a plan for you. IF YOU WOKE UP THIS MORNING, GOD HAS A PLAN for you. IT IS NOT GOD'S WILL. THERE'S NO DAYS THAT are wasted. THERE'S NO DAYS THAT YOU'RE IN THE WAITING LINE TO DIE. IF YOU WOKE UP THIS MORNING, GOD HAD A PLAN FOR YOU. AND I WANT TO PREACH TO US TONIGHT. LET'S GET BUSY LIVING THAT PLAN FOR GOD. WHEN TWO KINGS COLLIDE. OH, I want you stand with me right now. When two kings collide, when two kings collide, the Bible says, the Bible says, where' they stand? The end of verse 19. Some somebody tell me tonight where these where these four Daniel, Mach, Shadrach, and Abednego, where did they stand before the king? When you do what's right, no man nor a devil in hell can keep you down. When you Let me tell you something. Your biggest hindrance in life is not the devil. Stop. Stop rebuking the devil. You need to rebuke yourself cuz your hindrance in life is not the devil and your hindrance in life is not anybody beside you. Do you know that you are your biggest hindrance? Get over yourself. Because if you can ever learn to get over yourself and put your hands in the life of God and say, you know what, God, you are a sovereign God. God, even in the midst of two kings colliding, even in the midst of you allowing confusion to come and take us out, maybe God, I didn't appreciate you like I should, but God, WHATEVER THE CASE IS, I'm going to stand in Babylon and I'm going to show myself that I am standing before the king. Don't you want to DO THAT? DON'T DON'T YOU WANT TO do that tonight? And wait a minute, verse 20. And in all manners of wisdom and understanding that the king inquired of them, he found them how many times better? Is that does that sound familiar? Does 10 times sound better? Does sister Ker, you always follow me. Is that the first time in this chapter that we've heard 10 times? Huh? Is that the first time? Could could somebody wait a minute? Let's see. Um, chooses 10 days and we go through all of this so they can see at the end of 10 days appeared. 10 days. 10 days. It's not the first time we hear 10. You see, after 10 days, they find themselves Huh? After 10 days, they find themselves. What? Then this is this number 10 keeps coming in, doesn't it? Isn't it interesting? 10 keeps coming in because when they stand before the king and the king starts talking to them and in all manners of wisdom and understanding that the king inquired of them, he who the king found them what? 10 times better than all the music magicians and astrologers that were in all Israel. And Daniel continued even until the first year of King Cyrus. That means he reigned 65 years. Let me tell you this. You go from 10 time from you go from 10 days. I'm I'm I'm going to let you go. I promise you. You go from 10 days to 10 times. If you will give God one day, he'll multiply it. If you'll give God one day, he'll multiply. They gave 10 days, put us to the test, 10 days, and God says, I'm going to multiply, and you're going to be 10 times smarter, 10 times wiser. I don't know about you, but I want to be that man. And I want my children to be that way. And I want my grandchildren and I want your grandchildren to be that way when two kings collide. Could we lift our voices up? Lift our hands right now. Brother Ericson, come pray with us. Come dismiss us in prayer tonight.