Sermon Summary - America, Is the Handwriting on the Wall?

Sermon Summary - America, Is the Handwriting on the Wall?

Sermon by: Billy Graham

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5WlgeeieCs 

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Daniel is a book of prophecy. The sermon is focused on the events that took place in Daniel 5.

Jerusalem had come under the judgment of God as Jeremiah had predicted 

• Jeremiah and the other prophets had predicted that unless Jerusalem repented of their sins, they would be judged

• This happened and Jerusalem was taken conquered by the Babylonians

• Among those carried away to captivity in Babylon (about 1,500 miles away) by King Nebuchadnezzar were Daniel and his friends who were teenagers 

• Daniel was one of the young men chosen by Nebuchadnezzar to be taken to the palace and trained in the court

  • He was trained in all the arts and sciences of the Babylonians

  • Daniel served under King Nebuchadnezzar faithfully. He was given a position of power and treated well by the king.

• But Daniel 5 opens with Nebuchadnezzar being dead

• The new king was Belteshazzar, who was the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar

  • The Bible tells us of his personality

  • He was young, rich, powerful, egotistical, and self-centered. He was at ease and enjoyed pleasure.

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Matthew 23:12 - And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

• God hates pride

• If you try to tell others how great you are and leave God out, or if you act as if you can solve your own problems and arrange your own life without the help of God, God says that you will be brought down

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Daniel 5:1-4 - Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

• Belteshazzar had enjoyed a great military victory and arranged a feast in celebration. This was a great feast with wine and women.

Galatians 6:7 - Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Job 4:8 - Even as I have seen, Those who plow iniquity and sow trouble reap the same.

Hosea 8:7 - They sow the wind, And reap the whirlwind...

Jeremiah 12:13 - They have sown wheat but reaped thorns…

• There is a point beyond which the patience of God will not go and the Bible mentions it clearly.

Daniel 5: 5-8 - In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation.

• All of a sudden everyone in the banquet is quiet and Belteshazzar trembles in fear

• An armless hand began writing on the wall

• Belteshazzar tried to read it and he couldn’t

• He called all the astrologers, magicians, soothsayers, anyone that he could and none of them could read the writing either

• Belteshazzar and the people were frightened on the writing

Daniel 5: 10-12 - The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

• Belteshazzar’s mother heard about the event and came to talk to her son. Notice, she was not at the banquet

• She tells Belteshazzar about Daniel and how he was a man of God who helped Nebuchadnezzar interpret dreams

• At that time, Daniel was a chief man in the administration of Nebuchadnezzar but had soon fallen into pseudo-retirement after Belteshazzar took over

• Based on this statement, Belteshazzar called Daniel to him. Notice, Daniel was also not invited to this banquet

Daniel 5: 16,17 - And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. 

• Belteshazzar told Daniel that if he read the writing on the wall for him, that he would be made the third ruler of Babylon

• Daniel refused these gifts

• Daniel had spent his whole life in a close personal relationship with God. When he saw the writing on the wall, he knew immediately that it was the handwriting of his Father, God.

Daniel 5: 18-23 - O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses. “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. 

• Daniel explains to Belteshazzar why the writing appeared on the wall

• God had given Belteshazzar everything that he had, even the ability to laugh

  • His food, his drink, his wealth, and his power all came from God and he never acknowledged or thanked God for it

Daniel 5: 25-28 - “And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

• The writing on the wall was a prophecy and judgment being proclaimed on Belteshazzar and the Babylonian kingdom

• MENE: God has numbered your days and has finished it

  • Belteshazzar’s reign was done

• TEKEL: You have been weighed on the balances of God and have been found wanting

• PERES: Your kingdom has been divided to be given to the Medes and Persians

• Unbeknownst to all those at the banquet at the time, the Euphrates River had changed its course and the Medo-Persian army had advanced forward on the dry river bed

  • The Babylonians fell to the Medes and Persians on that night (seen in Daniel 5: 30,31)

  • Belteshazzar was killed and Daniel became the Prime Minister in the next empire

• Both empires respected Daniel for his wisdom, faith, purpose, and godliness

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Is God writing on the wall of America?

• MENE: The word ‘MENE’ also means remember. God remembers our sins. He sees it. He sees our sin of pornography, the lying, cheating, and corruption throughout our society.

  • God says in Numbers 32:23, Be sure your sin will find you out.

  • God also remembers to forget. When any group of people or nation repents of their sins and turns back to God, He will forgive their sins and heal the land. That is a promise.

• TEKEL: The world is being weighed in God’s balances

  • Many believe that judgement is already beginning

  • On what scale will God weight us?

1. God will weight us against the 10 commandments. If we offend in one point, we are guilty of all, James 2:10. We all have sinned. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23. And all are under the judgement of God.

2. We will be weighed against the law of love, Matthew 22: 36-40. All the law and teachings of the prophet hang on these 2 commandments. It summarizes the whole law.

3. We will be weighed against the person of Christ, Psalm 8,9. Christ was the only righteous and Holy man. The Bible tells us to be Holy because Christ is Holy, 1 Peter 1:16. If we don’t live like Christ, then we fall short of God’s requirements.

4. We will be weighted against our works, Matthew 25: 41-46.

5. We will be weighed against our opportunities, Luke 12:48.

• In all of these instances, we have fallen short of God’s requirements. The Gospel is the Good News for those who are guilty. God sent His son to die on the cross for us. God the Father took our sins and failures and put them on Christ. He became sin for us.

  • Christ provided the justness and righteousness for us that we didn’t have

  • We are acceptable by God not because we are good or because we read the Bible, but because of Christ. That is our privilege.

• PERES: This means divided. It means that judgement is coming and it is too late.

  • Will God tell us that?

  • Are we still nibbling at the devil’s bait even though we are already dead as far as eternity is concerned?

The judgement we deserved, God took from us so that we are accepted by Him.

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Verses mentioned in the Summary:

1. Numbers 32:23 - But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.

2. James 2:10 - For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all

3. Romans 3:23 - for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

4. Matthew 22: 36-40 - “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

5. 1 Peter 1:16 - because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

6. Matthew 25: 41-46 - “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

7. Luke 12:48 - But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.