Certain and Sure
Pastor David T. Elms Preached on 2/16/2025
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Summary
Pastor David T. Elms uses King Nebuchadnezzar's dream and Caligula's trivial pursuits to warn against wasting life on temporary 'trinkets' while urging believers to align their harts with the certain, coming kingdom of God.
Key points
- •The biblical story of Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2) reveals that world empires are temporary, but God's kingdom is eternal.
- •Much like the Roman Emperor Caligula collecting seashells instead of conquering land, many people spend their lives collecting 'trinkets' (wealth, status, trivialities) that hold no value in eternity.
- •The preservation of the Jewish people is a divine sign of God's covenant faithfulness, surviving despite millennia of anti-Semitism and modern attacks.
- •Current global instability (wars, economic shifts, technological rapidness) parallels the 'labor pains' described in scripture, signaling the return of Christ.
- •The 'Stone' rejected by the builders is Jesus Christ, who will eventually strike the systems of this world and establish a kingdom that never ends.
Scripture
Prophecy
Eternity
Faithfulness
Israel
Repentance
Life application
Review your daily 'collections' this week - identify one trivial pursuit (like excessive focus on wealth or digital distractions) and replace it with a spiritual discipline like prayer or focusing on your marriage and family.
Reflection questions
- What are the 'seashells and starfish' in your life that distract you from God's main purpose?
- How does the dream of the multi-metal statue in Daniel 2 change your perspective on current world events?
- Pastor Elms mentions that God has been 'walking the halls of your mind.' What is God saying to you in your private thoughts lately?
- How can you better 'align your focus' on the eternal rather than the temporary during your work week?
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Full transcript
0:00that I want to talk just for a few
0:00moments about this text that is so
0:02robust and deep if you're not familiar
0:05with the scripture then when you read
0:06this dream that Nebuchadnezzar had that
0:10was interpreted by Daniel the Prophet
0:12then it might be uh all kinds of
0:15metaphorical descriptions and
0:18comparatives that are offered in this
0:20dream for those of you who are very
0:22familiar with your Bible you recognize
0:25that this structure that's laid out by a
0:27Dream by King Nebuchadnezzar who was the
0:30leader of Babylon the most powerful man
0:33in the world was a dream that he said to
0:36his
0:37seers his uh gurus his shamans his
0:42healers his people that supposedly
0:45trafficked in the spiritual that if all
0:48of you think you're in the spirit realm
0:50then the Lord will not just tell you the
0:53dream but he will also give you the
0:55interpretation of it for me and so as
0:59often in that day power came with Terror
1:04and in that hour if you know your
1:06history books if you didn't do what you
1:09were supposed to do then death would
1:11meet you and Nebuchadnezzar said to all
1:14of his
1:15seers that if you don't come forward
1:19with this answer then I'm just going to
1:21wipe all of you out you will all die now
1:24that may be shocking to a western uh
1:27audience um this kind of power play but
1:31it was very familiar in all of history
1:35there was many times in history where if
1:38uh you were even family of the royalty
1:40you were subject to being killed for
1:43various and odd reasons it was a cruel
1:46yester year that we have come from so
1:49please when you look into history don't
1:51come with our softness today and try to
1:54reinterpret it as if you're better than
1:56them as if now you've got a revelation
1:59on cuteness when in that day that was
2:02the way life was so I I don't I I don't
2:06like to judge yester year with the with
2:10the mindset of today I think it's only
2:13fair to go back to that time period and
2:15look at it in the aspect of that time
2:18period uh so we find that uh
2:22Nebuchadnezzar this powerful leader of
2:24the then known world is uh describing
2:28this thing and of course Daniel finds
2:31out that because the seers are failing
2:34in their Duty that all of them will be
2:37killed Daniel said could you just give
2:41me a
2:42moment I have been relocated from
2:45Jerusalem to Babylon that's a trip from
2:49the edge of the Mediterranean all the
2:51way over to Iraq
2:53he was a young man when this happened
2:56and he said I do serve the Living God
3:00and he will speak to
3:01me and that's where we get our
3:05text
3:06Daniel is taken to
3:08Nebuchadnezzar and he describes the
3:11dream that he
3:12had and he tells him not only the dream
3:16but the meaning of the
3:18dream it's 2025 February what 16 today
3:24uh there's a lot of stuff going on in
3:26our world that we pay attention to the
3:29the thing that I want to ask you today
3:31is have you been able to clarify your
3:34mind into a place that you're doing the
3:38main things the important things the
3:42things that will matter not just today
3:44but also
3:46tomorrow and that's why we built this
3:49church to try to keep our hearts and our
3:51minds not not just focused on the
3:54temporary things that are like jangling
3:58symbols that try to get our attention
4:00and pull us away from the important
4:02things like your marriage the enemy
4:05wants to paint your marriage in
4:07camouflage colors to where you don't
4:10even see it anymore it's not precious
4:12it's not special it's not worth fighting
4:15for it's just worth being distracted
4:17from everything else can become more
4:20important than that Union that God put
4:24together and so we come to church to get
4:26our Focus to get our alignment to get
4:29our Mind Set On the things that matter
4:32and at least one day in your week you're
4:34going to be sitting in a position to
4:37look your soul in the mirror and answer
4:40questions like does this
4:43matter does that matter and while I
4:47haven't been in your dreams nor in your
4:48thoughts the spirit of the Living God
4:51speaks through me in a manner that I
4:54don't know when I'm saying something
4:55that's spooky to you but somewhere while
4:58I'm speaking today God's going to tell
5:00you I've been in your
5:03dreams I've been in your thoughts I've
5:06been walking the halls of your mind and
5:08what you thought was secret it's not
5:10spooky it's known not to the preacher
5:13but to the all-wise
5:16God and so this process of getting the
5:19main thing is very important Caligula
5:22was the ruler of Rome he was a Caesar
5:25that followed tiberious Caesar and and
5:28he was living as the ruler of the then
5:31Known World just a few years after Jesus
5:34died he served as ruler from 38 ad until
5:3841 ad when he was murdered by the
5:41petorian guard but kiga has had been
5:44brought to a place of historical
5:48remembrance because he wanted to go and
5:51Conquer Britain
5:53so he got in ships and he sailed with
5:56his powerful forces uh Westward and when
6:00he finally got to the shores of what was
6:02then known as Gaul which is modern day
6:05France when he got there he got out and
6:08walked the beach side he had his
6:11soldiers do this battle like against
6:13Mars or Neptune supposedly he fought
6:16Neptune and he walked the shores and
6:18gathered sea shells starfish and sea
6:23seaweed he packed him in a ship and he
6:25went back to Rome when he got out at
6:28Rome all the populace was gathered
6:30around the harbor where he would come in
6:32there a few miles from Rome and watched
6:35to see Caligula come out cigua come out
6:39of the ships and carry
6:43starfish
6:44seaweed and fancy
6:47seashells and to the mockery of all the
6:50people they thought you have gone on
6:52this long void and the only spoils you
6:55have brought back is
6:58seaweed
7:01seashells and
7:05Starfish because of that obviously there
7:08was chaos in Rome and the Senate thought
7:11he was mocking them and ultimately the
7:13petorian
7:14guard assassinated this leader who
7:18served right after tiberious Caesar the
7:22point for me to tell you this story is
7:24you're walking the shores of time right
7:26now you only get so many heartbeats and
7:30you only get so many breaths we're not
7:33guaranteed how long we get to live we're
7:36not promised tomorrow and on life's
7:39journey the question I want to ask you
7:41is what are you
7:43collecting are you running after
7:46paychecks gold that perisheth are you
7:49building your life on things that are as
7:51trivial as starf fish seaweed and
7:55seashells and do you think for some
7:58reason you're going to show up at
7:59Judgment Day carrying your Trinkets and
8:02impress the almighty and say I showed up
8:05to work on time I brushed my teeth when
8:08I was supposed to I was manly when I ate
8:11my
8:14pizza when these things are nice but
8:18they're
8:19trivialities for time in our my years at
8:24College in 1985 I went to North Carolina
8:27State University and I had a Bible
8:29professor as I took an elective in the
8:31Bible and this Bible Professor thought
8:34that the Bible was an amazing book but
8:37he didn't believe it to be divine it was
8:39just a masterpiece of literary
8:42expression but it was not Divine and I
8:44remember my faith being challenged
8:46greatly while it was there for my
8:47engineering season and I thought you
8:49know here I am I'm 18 years old and
8:53somewhere in life maybe archaeological
8:55finds or maybe some kind of Discovery
8:58will do something that will dis uh anull
9:02the authority of the scripture just
9:04because thousands do not believe it
9:06that's not new there's been people that
9:08have burned it and buried it it's
9:10outlived all of its paw bearers it's
9:13amazing how this Bible has stood the
9:15test of time in spite of all the
9:17secularists that would like to explain
9:19it away and in this process of time I
9:22thought that maybe by now I would have a
9:25reason to stop propagating this book to
9:28my
9:29babies but you know what the discoveries
9:32have continued the Dead Sea Scrolls keep
9:35speaking and all of the truth of the
9:38word of God has continued to grow louder
9:42and louder and louder yesterday Rabbi
9:45Cheryl I mean Rabbi Andrew Jacobs took
9:48my wife and I to the uh remembrance of
9:53of of the Nova attack that happened on
9:56the southern Shore or the southern
9:58borders of Israel and Rabbi Jacobs he
10:01serves at raat Shalom Synagogue and he
10:04went and we walked through this entire
10:06remembrance season it was very heavy but
10:09we walked through and looked at all of
10:11the pictures and I looked every picture
10:13of the
10:13411 young people mostly who were killed
10:18in that Wicked defiling attack and it
10:22was just a party night sort of like our
10:24burning man party that happens in Las
10:27Vegas just a night of frivolity and and
10:30a lot of things that necessarily doesn't
10:32represent what what we would like to as
10:34a church but it represented a hope and a
10:36and a pursuit of joy and all of them
10:40that were slain and many of them that
10:42are still hostages today my wife and I
10:45sat in front of the hostage board where
10:48every one of them in the picture of the
10:49one that was released yesterday who had
10:52just put now released up there and I
10:54thought while I sat there it's amazing
10:57to me in my lifetime that the hatred of
11:00the Jews has not
11:02stopped do you think it's because of
11:06Jerusalem why do you think people still
11:09fight against the Jews so wickedly with
11:13anti-Semitism I'll tell you why because
11:15they're not a people that were a people
11:19by way of geography they are not a
11:22people who are a people because of their
11:24strength or because of their might or
11:27because of their genius they are a
11:29people that God said in Deuteronomy the
11:317th chapter it was not because you were
11:34more in number than any other people
11:37that the Lord set his love upon you and
11:39chose you for you were the fewest of all
11:43peoples but it is because the lord loves
11:46you and is keeping an oath that he swore
11:49to your fathers that the Lord has
11:52brought you out with a mighty hand and
11:55redeemed you from the house of slavery
11:59from the hand of pharaoh king of Egypt
12:01know therefore that the Lord your God is
12:05God the faithful God who keeps Covenant
12:07and steadfast love with those
12:11who with those who love him he keeps
12:16Covenant with those who don't you know
12:19there's a lot of forces trying to keep
12:21you from loving God
12:24don't you understand there's
12:25distractions and static in your life
12:28that's trying to tear from you the
12:30understanding that you were born on
12:32purpose that you were given a Divine
12:34mandate that you were made and created
12:37fearfully and wonderfully by the
12:41Lord he gave you breath he gave you
12:45strength he gave you life he gave you a
12:48mind to think with he gave you tears to
12:50weep with he gave you a song in your
12:53heart he gave you love in your soul
12:56don't you know that that is the
13:00gift Hallelujah now now why am I
13:03waywardly chasing after this Israeli
13:07story because it's all
13:10interlined who is
13:12Daniel he is a nobody from
13:15Jerusalem where is he he's in the most
13:18powerful Center of military might the
13:22world World knew at that time
13:24Nebuchadnezzar was the most dynamically
13:27powerful force in the world in that day
13:30but the god of Heaven wants that King to
13:34know you don't believe in the god
13:36Jehovah you don't have to believe in the
13:39god Jehovah there is only one God and
13:42every other God is just a junior just a
13:48pretender just a fake just a fraud they
13:53might have power they do not have all
13:55power they might have thoughts but they
13:57do not have all thoughts they might
14:00offer ideas but they are not the creator
14:03of the world and so the creator of the
14:06world walked to the most powerful place
14:09and said I'm going to give you a dream
14:11that's going to mess you
14:13up have you ever had a dream that messed
14:15you
14:18up you ever had night dreams that make
14:21you sweat
14:24see who can do
14:26that we're a spiritual church I believe
14:28in dreams and Visions but I also know
14:30the difference between eating a lot of
14:32pizza before I go to
14:37sleep I don't want a bean
14:40dream but if it's a dream that comes
14:43from God then I've got to stop and say
14:47wait just a
14:49minute he cares for me
14:53enough to disturb my
14:55dreams and that's what he did to
14:57Nebuchadnezzar why because he wanted the
14:59world to know I have come to love you he
15:02uses Daniel and I cannot take the time
15:04to tell you the whole story but Daniel
15:07essentially lays out the whole Vision he
15:09said here's what you dreamed you dreamed
15:11of an image that was terrifying head of
15:13gold a breast uh and belly of silver
15:16thighs of iron legs or of silver yeah
15:21thighs of iron and legs of part iron and
15:24part clay but O King it's not about a
15:28image of gold silver bronze iron iron
15:32and Clay no that's not what it's about
15:35it's about the map of how the world is
15:38going to happen you King are the great
15:42king of this hour you're the head of
15:44gold there's coming a king after you
15:47that will be this breast of silver
15:49there's coming a kingdom after that that
15:51will be the legs of bronze there's
15:54coming a kingdom after that which will
15:56be a kingdom that is strongest of all
16:00iron iron is the strongest metal that
16:03was out in that hour and after that will
16:05come a kingdom that's touched weaker
16:08because it's a mixture of iron and Clay
16:12but here's the spiritual part he said
16:15after all of this is done a stone which
16:18is cut out of a mountain that hands
16:20could not build is going to come and
16:23fall on the feet of that image and that
16:26image is going to come down Boulders
16:28rocks Stones Pebbles dust it's going to
16:32crumble until it's a pile of dust and
16:35then a wind is going to come and the
16:37wind's going to blow all that away and
16:40all that will be left is that
16:43rock oh that sounds so
16:47crazy I mean what are you talking about
16:50I'll tell you what I'm talking about
16:52Jesus said the stone that the builders
16:56rejected has become the head
16:59Cornerstone and he was saying I'm going
17:01to come back to a world that's shaking
17:05and trembling and turning in every which
17:08way to try to find help and hope and
17:11they St come and they realize that no
17:14this world does not have the answer the
17:17only answer is God who said I am the
17:20beginning
17:23and I am the end I am the alpha I am the
17:28Omega I am the first I am the last you
17:32can start with everything but unless you
17:34start with God you haven't started you
17:37can end with everything but until you
17:40end with God you haven't ended because
17:43it's all started by a God who said let
17:46there
17:47be and it's going to end with a god
17:51who's going to say
17:52let there be one might deny him many
17:58have dismissed him so many disregard him
18:02men can imagine that they can succeed
18:06without him but you cannot erase his
18:09presence because in this house We Gather
18:12to celebrate the fact that though
18:14tomorrow we will grind the gears and
18:16pound the pavement tomorrow we will
18:18wrestle and Tango with a to-do list and
18:21tomorrow tomorrow we will go forth and
18:23wrestle with our emails today we said
18:28I'm going to stand in the presence of
18:30the almighty invisible God and I'm going
18:33to offer to him my song I'm going to
18:36give to him My Worship I'm going to lift
18:38my voice and shout unto him with a voice
18:41of Triumph I will offer my testimony to
18:44him because it is he that hath made us
18:48and not we ourselves we are his people
18:51and the sheep of his pasture therefore
18:54we'll enter into his gates with
18:56Thanksgiving and into his courts with
18:58praise we'll be thankful unto him and
19:01bless somebody's going to do it
19:04somebody's going to not be shut down
19:08somebody's going to bless his name
19:13because the Lord is good his mercy
19:16endureth forever and his truth endureth
19:20to all
19:27musicians come you know we know that
19:30Jesus came he was the stone that the
19:33builders rejected he's the one who
19:35didn't come with enough power they
19:37thought they thought their Messiah was
19:39supposed to come with might and dignity
19:42he was supposed to come on a white
19:44stallion coming with all authority he's
19:47supposed to come and impress everybody
19:50and the Bible tells us in Philippians
19:52the 2 chapter the eth verse he made of
19:55himself of no reputation he took on the
19:59form of a servant and became like a man
20:04and all of those who wanted a messiah
20:06that was filled with pump and Majesty
20:09they turned their back on him because he
20:12wasn't enough for them born in a manger
20:15oh lived from Bethlehem can any good
20:19thing come from Nazareth no who says he
20:23can be great and come from Nazareth but
20:26this Jesus came and said I have reached
20:30for my people a kingdom that was not
20:34just for one tribe it wasn't for one
20:37nation it was for the whole world so
20:40that every man and woman and boy and
20:42girl could come to know that he loves
20:46them
20:50so you know he loves
20:55you do you know he loves
21:00you oh I wish he would just talk where
21:02these ears can hear him wouldn't that be
21:08nice I wish he'd just walk in this room
21:10right now just walk up here and say I'm
21:13real I love you don't know don't believe
21:17me boom lightning strike right there
21:19listen y'all would all be on your faces
21:24You' e either fall forward or fall
21:26backward but you'd all be
21:31falling but he made of himself of no
21:35reputation he took on the form of a
21:37servant he said if you're going to love
21:40me you're not going to love me because
21:42I'm all power all the time you're not
21:46going to love me because I'm all healer
21:49all the time you're not going to love me
21:52because you get your way right away
21:55you're going to love me because I am
21:58love I'm the epitome of knowing how to
22:01walk through Low Places and hold your
22:04hand i'm the joy of he that goes to the
22:08Mountaintop and dances in the sunshine
22:12I'm good for those on top and I'm good
22:15for those on bottom and I'm good for all
22:18of us who are caught in the chaos
22:22see there's a lot happening right now
22:24and Jesus said there would be signs of
22:26his coming in the last days and in the
22:28last days he said that the sign of his
22:31coming would be he said when you see
22:34these things come to pass no that my
22:38coming is nigh he said these signs shall
22:42be the beginning of Sorrows the Greek
22:45word for Sorrows means labor
22:50pains Genesis where you
22:53at Genesis in the back Genesis Zusi just
22:58had a
22:59baby I found out like the day they were
23:03on their way to the hospital so I
23:06prayed then I inquired a couple hours
23:10later thought progress might have been
23:13made not a lot of pro progress so I
23:17prayed Lord help
23:20Genesis uh
23:23it took her 36
23:25hours to have that
23:27baby now listen I took Lamar's
23:34classes you're laughing at
23:37me don't laugh right in my
23:40face I took Lamar's classes I'm
23:44sensitive like that I appreciate the two
23:47Hand claps I got right there yeah
23:52very
23:53Advanced I know nowadays you young
23:56Jokers take father Ed by fathercraft and
24:01some of you took the dad
24:04course they got this new thing called
24:06boot camp for new
24:12dads but just cuz all of you young
24:16puppies think y'all know how to be a
24:20Daddy Let Me Tell tell you you're not
24:22going to take my sympathy pains from
24:29me see half of you don't even know what
24:32that is you're lost when I said sympathy
24:35pains this is what the man gets when his
24:37wife goes into
24:40labor my wife went into labor and I went
24:49oh she went again w
24:53o I had
24:58contractions till my wife let me know
25:01that that was my ego getting
25:07deflated Jesus said in the last days
25:10that stone that's going to hit the feet
25:13of that
25:14image it's going to come with
25:17signs and it's going to come like a
25:20woman going in into
25:23labor I
25:25know not all of this congregations
25:28understands
25:29labor but there's
25:33intensification that is
25:35unusual there is a
25:38convergence of
25:40movement that is
25:43uncommon there is an
25:45escalation of
25:47forces that are extraordinary
25:51and those descriptions describe the
25:54world we're in right
25:56now I don't want to bore you to talk
25:59about
26:00AI I don't want to bore you about
26:03America walking into the Munich this
26:05past week I don't want to bore you about
26:08the president of France calling a
26:10special meeting that the United States
26:12is not welcome to I don't want to bore
26:15you by talking about how slowly Hamas is
26:18releasing the
26:19hostages I don't want to Bore You by
26:22talking about the world economic Forum
26:25acting like they know stuff but facts
26:28prove they really
26:30don't I don't want to bore you with the
26:33experts who said inflation is
26:38transitory and yet it
26:41continues but I want to tell you the
26:44Bible said at the last of time when the
26:47world thinks she's so smart there's
26:50going to come a stone
26:52heun out of a mountain not made with
26:55hands that's going to hit at the feet of
26:58all the wisdom and wealth and Warlords
27:02of this thing called Earth and he's
27:05going to come back and take over God
27:09have you been Gathering
27:11seaweed
27:13starfish and sea
27:17shells how is it with your soul today
27:21what's going on with you and
27:23God have you been preparing to meet your
27:26God I'm not talking about finding
27:29harmony with the do
27:30drop I'm talking about the God of
27:33Israel I'm not talking about finding
27:36alignment with your
27:37chocas I'm not talking about hearing
27:40what the Healer has to say about an
27:43omen no all of those are
27:47cute desires of people pursuing to know
27:51Jo joy peace and
27:53happiness there's only one
27:55God he doesn't come in a thousand
27:58different
27:59ways he came unto his own and his
28:04own received him not but to as many as
28:08they who received him to them gave he
28:12power to become the sons of God for it
28:17does not yet appear what we shall be but
28:21we know that when he shall appear we
28:24shall be like him for we shall see him
28:27as he is he's coming back
28:35again my sins crucified him my sins put
28:41him on a cross my sins was the reason he
28:46had to die and be buried but thank God
28:50the grave couldn't hope hold him the
28:52nails couldn't pin him the cross
28:56couldn't destroy him because on the
28:58third day he got up oh death where is
29:05your sting oh
29:08grave where is your
29:11Victory The Sting of death is
29:14sin but we thank God through Jesus
29:18Christ that the Jews
29:22and the
29:23Gentiles can lift their hands and say I
29:26will praise
29:27him I will worship Him shall we stand
29:31all over this building right now I know
29:33there are souls that are reaching out to
29:35find the goodness of God I know there
29:38are people that the Lord has been
29:40working with for months weeks days some
29:45of you it was this morning when he spoke
29:47to you and you've come here to have an
29:50encounter with God not to watch a
29:52preacher preach or hear a singer sing
29:54you want to have an encounter with God
29:57and that's the reason at the close of
29:59our services we have a season where we
30:02have a prayer service where every man
30:05can take the spoken word and every woman
30:08can take the part that hit their heart
30:10and say oh God it's you and me right now
30:14I'm not coming with fancy words I'm not
30:17coming with knowledgeable prayers I
30:20don't even feel like I know how to pray
30:23but I know what's happening in my heart
30:26I need to reconnect with you I need to
30:30touch you oh Lord so that you can
30:34revive me revive my dreams revive my
30:39love restore my hope renew my
30:45aspirations because you're the one who
30:47gave me life I need more of you you know
30:51what he said he would do if you would
30:53repent of your sins he's not going to
30:56take you if you say come and I'm GNA be
30:58a sinner too no no no he wants you to
31:01say Lord I'm sorry I've mistreated that
31:04one I've mishandled that I've done this
31:06wrong I don't want to hear your mess but
31:08you need to tell him repent of your sins
31:12be baptized in his name that's the birth
31:16of water it's what you have to do when
31:19you get into his family you got to be
31:21born of the water in his name and he
31:25said I'll fill you with my spirit and
31:28when you get the Holy Ghost you'll speak
31:30with a language no one ever taught you I
31:33can't teach you your friends can't teach
31:36you it's an utterance from on high that
31:40God will give you I'm opening this altar
31:43if you would like to come and pray take
31:45your Liberty fill this house with the
31:48sound of prayer fill this place with
31:52hearts that are open to talk to the Lord
31:54a little while let's get a hold of Jesus
31:58for a few moments
32:00today and broken I love you