Sermon

Daniel • Week 13

Willow Ridge Sermons

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  1. Welcome to the Willow Ridge Sermons Podcast, where you can listen to audio from our most

  2. recent sermons and more. Thanks for listening, and be sure to add this show to your library

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  4. Good morning. If you have your Bibles, and I hope you do, I want to invite you to join us in

  5. Daniel chapter 9 this morning. If you are a first-time guest with us, we are so grateful and

    Daniel 9 chapter mention

  6. glad that you're here. And at the end of the service, you wouldn't mind stopping by our

  7. connections table. My wife and I will be back there. We would love to meet you. We would love

  8. to greet you. We would love to thank you for taking the time out of your schedule to worship

  9. with us today. And if you have any questions about Willow Ridge Church, we would love to be able to

  10. answer those for you. Well, we are still in Daniel chapter 9. We are coming to the end or to the

    Daniel 9 chapter mention

  11. close here in the next several weeks of Daniel. We'll actually come out of Daniel into our Christmas

  12. series. And so what we're going to look at this morning as we're going to finish up chapter 9,

  13. but we're also going to take a little bit and kind of look back into what we talked about last week to

  14. help us set the stage for what God has for us this morning as we talk about prayer. Now, what I would

  15. like to challenge you to do is in just a moment, I'm going to read a verse from last week of Daniel's

  16. prayer. And then we will go into our time of prayer before we get into the message. But what I would

  17. like for you to do, kind of as God's Word has led us and instructed us to do, sometimes when someone

  18. comes up on stage and pray, and we should do this, right? Like we listen to their prayer. But what we

  19. find largely in what Daniel is praying for is Daniel is praying for not only his repentance, but for the

  20. repentance of his people. And so as we go into this, what I would like to challenge you to do is while I

  21. pray, take some time in repentance and confession. Maybe you feel led to pray for our church. Maybe you feel

  22. led to pray for our country, our community. Maybe you feel led to pray for you and in repentance for

  23. what you have, for what you're walking through, through what you're facing. But what I would love

  24. for us to be in unity as a church is ready and prepared for the Word of what that God would have

  25. for us, and that nothing to slow us or inhibit us. And so as we go to the Lord, can we go to the Lord

  26. together in repentance and confession before Him? We read Daniel 9.15.

  27. And now, O Lord, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand,

  28. and have made a name for Yourself, as at this day we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

  29. Would You join me as we pray together?

  30. God, we thank You for the mighty work of Your hand in our salvation.

  31. God, You called us. You saved us.

  32. It was in the work of the cross that Christ paid the price for us.

  33. And it was Your hand as You drew us to Yourself.

  34. And God, may we take time to pause, Lord, to thank You.

  35. God, as we reflect on our salvation, could we also, Lord, reflect on the sin that You've

  36. saved us from, but, Lord, still often the sin that we pursue, and the sin that we crave,

  37. and the sin that we desire.

  38. Lord, may we repent before You for every wandering of the heart.

  39. May we repent before You for every evil thought of the mind.

  40. God, could we repent before You for every wicked deed of the body.

  41. God, not just for myself, but for us.

  42. God, we come before You as Your people.

  43. Lord, we thank You for Your forgiveness that is given freely to us, but at a cost precious to You.

  44. God, with all that is done and all that is said, Lord, may You be glorified and Your will be done

  45. on earth as it is in heaven.

  46. And it's in Jesus' name we pray.

  47. Amen.

  48. Well, continuing on in what we've not only seen last week, but what we've seen over the last several weeks

  49. is a theme, a pattern, a consistency in the life of Daniel, is that Daniel is a man of prayer.

  50. We know that Daniel is a man of resilience.

  51. We know that Daniel is a man of action.

  52. We know that Daniel is a man of godly character.

  53. But Daniel is a man of prayer.

  54. We've seen this from him in Daniel chapter 2 and in Daniel chapter 6 are kind of the big ones of what we see,

    Daniel 2 chapter mention Daniel 6 chapter mention

  55. that Daniel came before the Lord so that he could be delivered, not just the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream,

  56. but also the dream itself in Daniel 2.

  57. We see in Daniel 6 that it is Daniel's prayer of his time of coming before the Lord,

  58. even though the king at the time had banished that and said,

  59. if you do this, you will face the lion's den.

  60. But Daniel was faithful in who he is, and this is what Daniel does.

  61. And so last week, we kind of looked at this life of Daniel.

  62. We looked at his prayer specifically of what it's given to us.

  63. And I want us just to take a few minutes to kind of look back on some of the main themes from last week,

  64. because what we're going to get this week is the answer to that prayer.

  65. And I don't know about you, but sometimes I've got to be reminded of things.

  66. And so it was a great reminder for me this week as we prepare to hear the answer to Daniel's prayer.

  67. Now, he is speaking to the Holy Scriptures, specifically the prophet Jeremiah.

  68. And what we saw, what we began on, is that prayer is a response to God's word and submission to God's will.

  69. What we see here is Daniel is in God's word.

  70. He's in Jeremiah, and as a result of his studying of God's word,

  71. it draws him in response to who God is.

  72. And we're going to look at this very important,

  73. because what we're going to find in these next verses of 20 through 27 is the will and the plan of God.

  74. And so Daniel comes before, sees that this is what God has,

  75. thinking as he's studying in Jeremiah that the 70 years of exile that Jerusalem is under

  76. is coming to an end, because this is where Daniel finds himself.

  77. And so he comes before the Lord in repentance for the people so that they can be prepared to be saved,

  78. to be redeemed, to be freed from the exile in which they find themselves.

  79. But it's also in Daniel conforming, not just to the word and to the will of God.

  80. And so for us, when we find it difficult sometimes to pray, can we begin in God's word?

  81. To be a person of prayer, we also must be a person of scripture and faithful to that.

  82. So prayer is a response to God's word and who he is and a submission to his will.

  83. And we'll talk more about that here in just a moment.

  84. But then we also see in Daniel 9 verse 3,

    Daniel 9:3

  85. Then I turned my face to the Lord.

  86. Right?

  87. So this is an internal determining of the heart which will play out physically in the life of Daniel.

  88. Then I turned my face to the Lord, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

  89. And so what we find in here is that prayer is a humble persistence.

  90. That yes, do I take the moments and speak to God as the spirit of God leads me throughout the day?

  91. Absolutely.

  92. Do I take the time as I'm driving in the car, as I'm interacting, as I'm sitting at my office,

  93. as I'm out having a meal, as I'm doing these things to speak to the Lord, to pray without ceasing?

  94. Absolutely I do.

  95. But what we find actually in that phrase of praying without ceasing,

  96. it's not an imagery of these short, sporadic prayers,

  97. but it's actually the picture of a marathoner.

  98. It's with endurance.

  99. Pray with endurance is what we're called to be.

  100. So there is a persistence.

  101. There's a determination.

  102. As Daniel comes to these scriptures in Jeremiah,

  103. he doesn't just become before the Lord and go,

  104. Okay, God, well, here's what you're going to do, and God, I'm okay with it.

  105. That Daniel has a determination within himself.

  106. That what we find in here, that Daniel turns his face in intentionality

  107. away from the brokenness of the world, away from the brokenness of his heart,

  108. and he turns himself to the Lord.

  109. He seeks him with fasting of saying,

  110. God, you're all that I need.

  111. You're all that I depend on.

  112. And he covers himself in sackcloth and ashes.

  113. A physical picture of mourning, symbolic of repentance.

  114. Like, sometimes we can pray and acknowledge sin,

  115. but that doesn't mean that we've prayed and repented of our sin.

  116. I know that oftentimes in my life,

  117. my heart can be so calloused,

  118. and I can be so lackadaisical with my prayers,

  119. that I may acknowledge the sin that I just did.

  120. I acknowledge that it was wrong.

  121. I acknowledge that I shouldn't have done it.

  122. But like a three-year-old who got their hand caught in the cookie jar,

  123. I'm not truly broken for the sin that's in me.

  124. That takes hard work.

  125. That takes determination.

  126. That takes a humbling of the Spirit before God.

  127. I'm not saying don't have the conversation with the Lord.

  128. But what I am saying is that there should be a posturing of the Spirit

  129. and maybe even a physical posturing of the body

  130. in reverence before Him.

  131. So we see this humble persistence.

  132. We continue on and we see I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession.

  133. This is verses 4 and 5.

  134. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession saying,

  135. O Lord, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant

  136. and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments.

  137. Okay, so God makes covenant,

  138. and then God calls us after He's made covenant with us.

  139. This is important.

  140. This is great Old Testament and New Testament biblical theology.

  141. That as God makes covenant with His people,

  142. He then says, and these are my commandments to follow.

  143. God doesn't say follow my commandments

  144. so that I will make covenant with you.

  145. God says, I have made covenant with you.

  146. Now follow my commandments.

  147. And so verse 5,

  148. God, here's what you've done.

  149. You keep covenant.

  150. You keep love.

  151. But verse 5,

  152. but we have sinned and done wrong.

  153. We have acted wickedly and rebelled,

  154. turning aside from your commandments and rules.

  155. So here, like Daniel, the man of character,

  156. the man of prayer,

  157. the man of integrity,

  158. in and amongst,

  159. not only in a rebellious culture

  160. in which he finds himself,

  161. but Daniel in a part of a rebellious people

  162. who find themselves in exile.

  163. Let's never forget this.

  164. Who finds themselves in exile

  165. because they rebelled from the commands of God.

  166. And God said,

  167. hey, you're going to go into exile unless you repent.

  168. And they wouldn't repent.

  169. And then God would say it again.

  170. And this is the prophets leading all the way up through.

  171. God's saying, repent, repent, repent.

  172. And them saying, no, no, no.

  173. And so what we find here with Daniel

  174. is Daniel comes.

  175. Prayer is a confession of self

  176. and a cry for God's people.

  177. We have sinned.

  178. We have done wrong.

  179. You see, for Daniel, it's not a they problem.

  180. For Daniel, it's not just a me problem.

  181. For Daniel, it's a we problem.

  182. And so Daniel just doesn't come before the Lord

  183. and confess his sin.

  184. But Daniel comes before the Lord

  185. from a rebellious people

  186. and confesses and cries out for the people of God.

  187. And then lastly, what we looked at last week,

  188. verses 15 through 16.

  189. And now, O Lord, our God,

  190. who brought your people out of the land of Egypt

  191. with a mighty hand

  192. and have made a name for yourself,

  193. as at this day we have sinned

  194. and we have done wickedly.

  195. Verse 16.

  196. O Lord, according to all your righteous acts,

  197. let your anger and your wrath

  198. turn away from your city, Jerusalem,

  199. your holy hill,

  200. because of our sins

  201. and for the iniquities of our fathers,

  202. Jerusalem and your people

  203. have become a byword

  204. among all who are around us.

  205. And what we find is that prayer

  206. is dependent on the character of God.

  207. You see, when you read Daniel's prayer,

  208. you read things like,

  209. God have mercy.

  210. God forgive.

  211. And it can feel like Daniel

  212. is forcing the hand of God.

  213. That Daniel is saying,

  214. God, you better do this.

  215. God, you better do that.

  216. Well, that's not what he's doing.

  217. Daniel's not the boss of God.

  218. Daniel doesn't get to tell God what to do.

  219. But at the same time,

  220. it's more than a question

  221. of God can you,

  222. of God will you.

  223. You see, what we find in Daniel

  224. is there's a layer of confidence

  225. in that this is what God will do

  226. because this is what God has said

  227. he will do.

  228. Daniel says, God, you've saved us.

  229. You've brought us.

  230. You've made a name for yourself.

  231. We have done wickedly.

  232. Let your anger and wrath, Lord,

  233. turn away.

  234. You've said they will.

  235. Have mercy on us, your people.

  236. You've said you will.

  237. Forgive us.

  238. You've said that you will.

  239. You see, looking back at what we talked about

  240. from the very beginning,

  241. centered in God's word,

  242. submitted to God's will.

  243. Prayer is dependent on the character of God.

  244. Here's what you and I need to understand

  245. about prayer.

  246. I know that I need to learn this.

  247. Prayer is not how do I get God

  248. to do what I want God to do.

  249. How many of you,

  250. if you're being honest,

  251. would say that that can be

  252. how your prayers are

  253. from time to time?

  254. I know that's how I often pray.

  255. God, I just need you to do

  256. what I want you to do.

  257. God, I need you to act

  258. how I want you to act.

  259. God, I need you to do for me

  260. what I desire for you to do for me.

  261. And like a child writing their list to Santa Claus,

  262. I oftentimes find myself

  263. in the same positioning of the heart,

  264. sinfully coming before God.

  265. But prayer is not that.

  266. Prayer is how do I align my heart

  267. and will with the heart and will of God?

  268. How do I align?

  269. My heart is off.

  270. My will is off.

  271. God, your heart is good.

  272. God, your will is perfect.

  273. How do I align me with you?

  274. I don't need to get God over to my team.

  275. I don't need to get God on my side of the road.

  276. The problem in my relationship is not Him.

  277. The problem in my relationship is me.

  278. So how do I get myself over here?

  279. How do I pray like Jesus taught me how to pray?

  280. In Matthew 6.10,

  281. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount,

  282. in His teaching to pray,

  283. He says,

  284. Your will be done on earth as it is heaven.

  285. God, move and transform my heart.

  286. Submit me to Your will

  287. so that I'm in alignment with You.

  288. Daniel is reading in the prophet Jeremiah.

  289. He sees in an understanding

  290. that a 70-year time frame

  291. is how long that His people will be in exile.

  292. He begins to do the math

  293. and sees within a handful of years

  294. this is over.

  295. And so then Daniel responds in prayer.

  296. So now let's pick up in verse 20

  297. where we left off last week.

  298. We read 20-23.

  299. Daniel writes and says,

  300. While I was speaking and praying,

  301. confessing my sin

  302. and the sin of my people Israel

  303. in presenting my plea

  304. before the Lord my God

  305. for the holy hill of my God,

  306. while I was speaking in prayer,

  307. the man Gabriel,

  308. whom I had seen in a vision at first,

  309. came to me in swift flight

  310. at the time of the evening sacrifice.

  311. He made me understand,

  312. speaking with me and saying,

  313. O Daniel,

  314. I have now come to give to you

  315. insight and understanding.

  316. At the beginning of your pleas

  317. for mercy,

  318. a word went out

  319. and I have come to tell it to you

  320. for you are greatly loved.

  321. Therefore, consider the word

  322. and understand the vision.

  323. Here's what I want you to see

  324. that will happen here

  325. in this section of Scripture,

  326. that this is what God had for Daniel

  327. and what I believe the reminder

  328. that God has for us today

  329. if you're a follower of Jesus Christ.

  330. If you are not a follower

  331. of Jesus Christ,

  332. I got some good news for you

  333. as it's a reminder for us.

  334. God hears your prayers

  335. and God loves you.

  336. God hears your prayers

  337. and God loves you.

  338. What's about to happen

  339. in the remainder of chapter 9

  340. is one of the hardest passages

  341. in the Bible to understand.

  342. And before we tiptoe down those waters,

  343. I want to read to you

  344. from one of the,

  345. this is one of the commentaries

  346. that I'm reading through right now.

  347. Great commentary series,

  348. Christ-centered expositions.

  349. They're wonderful.

  350. If you're looking for some books

  351. to kind of help you read,

  352. they've got a ton of these.

  353. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

  354. But a guy named Alistair Begg

  355. who's like way smarter

  356. than I ever dreamed

  357. or hoped that I could be.

  358. Here's what he says

  359. about Daniel 9, 20 through 27.

  360. In what follows,

  361. I reserve the right

  362. to change my mind

  363. later this evening

  364. and as often as necessary

  365. for the rest of my life

  366. until I finally settle the matter.

  367. What I'm about to now unfold for you

  368. will annoy some,

  369. disappoint others,

  370. confuse many,

  371. and perhaps encourage a few.

  372. What I hope to do this morning

  373. with a very complicated passage

  374. of Scripture

  375. is not anger any,

  376. not annoy some,

  377. but encourage us.

  378. And in this passage of Scripture,

  379. we can argue through

  380. what it may say

  381. instead of finding the truth

  382. of what it does say.

  383. And as I studied,

  384. I love the beauty

  385. of what Daniel said,

  386. or I'm sorry,

  387. what Gabriel says to Daniel

  388. in chapter 9, verse 23.

  389. It says,

  390. At the beginning

  391. of your pleas

  392. for mercy,

  393. a word went out.

  394. And I have come

  395. to tell it to you,

  396. for you

  397. are greatly

  398. loved.

  399. Daniel's praying,

  400. and God hears him.

  401. Daniel

  402. is a man

  403. with sin,

  404. and yet

  405. God

  406. loves him.

  407. First thing

  408. I want you to hear

  409. this morning

  410. to be reminded of

  411. is that God hears you.

  412. God hears you.

  413. I know sometimes

  414. because of our limitations,

  415. it may feel like

  416. God doesn't hear us.

  417. It may feel like

  418. God doesn't care.

  419. But every cry,

  420. every confession,

  421. every question,

  422. every praise,

  423. every moment of silence,

  424. God hears you.

  425. This is remarkable

  426. to think of.

  427. Just imagine,

  428. and let's please

  429. don't do this,

  430. but imagine if right now

  431. we all started talking

  432. at the same time.

  433. If every one of us

  434. in a low mumble

  435. began to speak

  436. to the person

  437. next to us.

  438. If it started

  439. with a few,

  440. maybe we could

  441. narrow down

  442. and hear what they're saying,

  443. but as it would go

  444. on and on

  445. and on,

  446. the low mumble

  447. would turn

  448. into loud gibberish,

  449. and even though

  450. we are in the room

  451. with one another,

  452. you would find it difficult

  453. to listen to

  454. the person beside you

  455. because of the distraction

  456. of the person

  457. behind you.

  458. Yet in our world,

  459. there are currently

  460. of what's known

  461. 7,159 languages.

  462. Within those

  463. 7,159 languages,

  464. there's millions

  465. of different dialects,

  466. and right now,

  467. if a or many

  468. represented from each

  469. one of those dialects

  470. began to pray

  471. and cry out to God

  472. all at the same time,

  473. God would hear,

  474. would know,

  475. and would understand

  476. every single word.

  477. word.

  478. Church,

  479. please take

  480. to your heart

  481. what this means

  482. for you and I.

  483. That we have

  484. the wonderful blessing

  485. to not go to God

  486. and hope He hears us,

  487. but we have the privilege

  488. as His sons

  489. and daughters

  490. to go to God

  491. and know

  492. and know

  493. without a doubt

  494. that He

  495. hears us.

  496. Every cry,

  497. every question,

  498. every praise,

  499. every bit

  500. of it,

  501. He

  502. hears

  503. us.

  504. But then secondly,

  505. secondly,

  506. it's not just

  507. that God

  508. hears you,

  509. but that God

  510. loves you.

  511. That God

  512. loves you.

  513. You ever

  514. had the joy

  515. or the frustration

  516. of having to call

  517. customer service?

  518. I feel

  519. bad

  520. for people

  521. and if you work

  522. in a customer service

  523. line of work

  524. where you are the one

  525. that has to take

  526. the phone call,

  527. my heart

  528. breaks for you

  529. because it's

  530. very evident

  531. 99 times

  532. out of 100

  533. that the person

  534. who answers

  535. the phone

  536. is telling you

  537. that they care

  538. when they really

  539. do not.

  540. They are not

  541. under obligation

  542. to answer the call.

  543. They're under

  544. obligation to listen.

  545. They're under

  546. obligation

  547. to do the best

  548. that they can

  549. to fix

  550. the problem

  551. that you have.

  552. I won't say

  553. the name

  554. of the company

  555. but years ago

  556. we were moving.

  557. We were moving

  558. to the house

  559. that we are

  560. currently in

  561. and there's

  562. utility service

  563. that you have

  564. the opportunity

  565. to choose

  566. which utility

  567. service you

  568. would like.

  569. And I was

  570. there and I was

  571. waiting on a day

  572. for this utility

  573. service to come

  574. to our house

  575. so that our house

  576. could function

  577. the way that it

  578. needed to

  579. and this utility

  580. service was

  581. supposed to come

  582. around noon

  583. and we needed

  584. this utility

  585. service to be

  586. there around noon

  587. and so I was

  588. there and I was

  589. there early

  590. and I was there

  591. late and they

  592. never came.

  593. And so the next

  594. day I called

  595. and they said

  596. yes sir

  597. we're sorry sir

  598. we'll be there

  599. now this is in

  600. like early September

  601. and so I said

  602. okay that's fine

  603. no big deal

  604. we'll see you

  605. tomorrow.

  606. So tomorrow

  607. I go

  608. and I wait

  609. and they don't

  610. come again.

  611. And so I called

  612. back and they

  613. said sir

  614. we're so sorry

  615. we'll be there

  616. next week.

  617. And I said

  618. but we can't

  619. be there next

  620. week.

  621. We need it

  622. today or tomorrow

  623. and they said

  624. sir that's the

  625. best we can do.

  626. Okay.

  627. So next week

  628. comes guess

  629. what?

  630. They don't come.

  631. We're now in

  632. the second week

  633. of September.

  634. I called them

  635. and again

  636. I said

  637. so we're still

  638. waiting you know

  639. like I hope

  640. you're having

  641. a good day.

  642. We're going

  643. to love

  644. through this

  645. right?

  646. Can you

  647. come today?

  648. And they're

  649. like well we

  650. can't.

  651. When can you

  652. come?

  653. I kid you

  654. not.

  655. Their answer

  656. was the day

  657. before Thanksgiving.

  658. And I said

  659. well we got a

  660. problem.

  661. We can't do

  662. that.

  663. So can I

  664. talk is there

  665. anyone who

  666. can help me

  667. get that day

  668. sooner than

  669. the day before

  670. Thanksgiving?

  671. And they

  672. said yes.

  673. And I said

  674. I'd love to

  675. talk to that

  676. person.

  677. So they

  678. connected me to

  679. a person and

  680. that person

  681. said no we

  682. can't.

  683. And then I

  684. said well is

  685. there someone

  686. who can?

  687. And they

  688. said yes.

  689. And I

  690. said can I

  691. talk to that

  692. person?

  693. This happened

  694. seven times.

  695. Now in my

  696. preacher brain

  697. I'm knowing

  698. like this is

  699. going to be an

  700. illustration one

  701. day right?

  702. so my

  703. guy answers

  704. the phone.

  705. You know

  706. what I mean

  707. like he's

  708. having a

  709. good day.

  710. And you

  711. can tell

  712. he's just

  713. he's all

  714. smiles.

  715. He's looking

  716. forward to his

  717. lunch break.

  718. You know

  719. what I mean?

  720. And I

  721. said can I

  722. ask you a

  723. question?

  724. He said yes

  725. sir.

  726. And I

  727. said if I

  728. ask you if

  729. there's someone

  730. else who can

  731. move up the

  732. day from the

  733. day before

  734. Thanksgiving to

  735. today are

  736. you going to

  737. tell me yes?

  738. He said yes

  739. sir I am.

  740. I said can I

  741. ask you another

  742. question?

  743. He said yes

  744. sir.

  745. I said does

  746. that person

  747. actually exist?

  748. He said no

  749. sir he does

  750. not.

  751. And I

  752. said thank

  753. you.

  754. He's like well

  755. what are you

  756. going to do

  757. about your

  758. problem?

  759. I said I

  760. think I'm

  761. going to go

  762. to your

  763. competitor.

  764. He said

  765. that's what

  766. I would do

  767. that's what

  768. I did too.

  769. My guy.

  770. I just had

  771. to get to

  772. him man.

  773. I just had

  774. to get to

  775. him.

  776. Everybody

  777. else was

  778. obligated.

  779. They're like I'm

  780. so sorry.

  781. I hate that.

  782. I can't believe

  783. that you're

  784. having to do

  785. these things.

  786. They didn't

  787. care.

  788. They didn't

  789. care.

  790. My guy

  791. cared.

  792. He loved

  793. me.

  794. It's not

  795. just that God

  796. hears you.

  797. God loves

  798. you.

  799. You see his

  800. love is not

  801. out of his

  802. obligation.

  803. It's not out

  804. of his job.

  805. It's out of

  806. his character

  807. of who

  808. he is.

  809. Why does

  810. God love

  811. Daniel?

  812. Why does

  813. God love

  814. you?

  815. Why does

  816. God love

  817. me?

  818. God loves

  819. Daniel.

  820. God loves

  821. you.

  822. God loves

  823. me.

  824. Because 1

  825. John 4

  826. 8 tells us

  827. that God

  828. is love.

  829. That's who

  830. he is.

  831. But you

  832. might be

  833. thinking but

  834. but I

  835. might be

  836. unlovable.

  837. I'm not a

  838. Christian.

  839. I don't

  840. believe the

  841. things that

  842. you believe.

  843. Well here's

  844. what I'll

  845. tell you that

  846. God still

  847. loves you.

  848. Because

  849. John 3

  850. 16.

  851. Right?

  852. Not only is

  853. God is love

  854. but God so

  855. loved the

  856. world.

  857. God so

  858. loved the

  859. world that

  860. he sent

  861. his son

  862. Jesus to

  863. die for

  864. you.

  865. And God

  866. does that

  867. not because

  868. God is

  869. obligated to

  870. not because

  871. God's forced

  872. into a corner

  873. to but he

  874. does so

  875. because that's

  876. who he

  877. is.

  878. God loves

  879. you.

  880. Right?

  881. So God

  882. loves us.

  883. Each and

  884. every one

  885. of us.

  886. And when

  887. he hears

  888. you,

  889. when he

  890. hears you,

  891. his position

  892. is love.

  893. So God's

  894. going to

  895. answer

  896. Daniel.

  897. God's

  898. going to

  899. answer

  900. Daniel.

  901. And it's

  902. going to

  903. be a

  904. complicated

  905. answer.

  906. Remember

  907. Daniel was

  908. believing

  909. that this

  910. exile will

  911. come to

  912. an end.

  913. Daniel was

  914. believing

  915. that what

  916. he's been

  917. longing for

  918. or what

  919. he's been

  920. hoping for

  921. that Daniel

  922. at an

  923. old age

  924. Daniel

  925. like

  926. Daniel

  927. recognizes

  928. within himself

  929. that his

  930. years are so

  931. limited in

  932. age that

  933. he might

  934. not see

  935. this.

  936. But he's

  937. still hopeful

  938. for it.

  939. He's still

  940. hopeful.

  941. And so

  942. God gives

  943. Daniel

  944. his answer.

  945. Let's

  946. read

  947. verses 24

  948. through 27.

  949. And I'm

  950. just going to

  951. tell you

  952. ahead of

  953. time.

  954. These are

  955. these verses.

  956. These are

  957. these verses

  958. that Alistair

  959. Begg was

  960. talking about.

  961. These are

  962. the verses

  963. that get

  964. complicated.

  965. But we're

  966. going to

  967. pull the

  968. truth of

  969. what God

  970. has from

  971. them.

  972. Seventy

  973. weeks are

  974. decreed about

  975. your people.

  976. in your

  977. holy city

  978. to finish

  979. the

  980. transgression.

  981. To put

  982. an end

  983. to sin

  984. and to

  985. atone

  986. for

  987. iniquity.

  988. To bring

  989. in everlasting

  990. righteousness.

  991. To seal

  992. both vision

  993. and profit

  994. and to

  995. anoint

  996. a most

  997. holy

  998. place.

  999. know

  1000. therefore

  1001. and

  1002. understand

  1003. that

  1004. from the

  1005. going

  1006. out

  1007. of the

  1008. word

  1009. to

  1010. restore

  1011. and

  1012. build

  1013. Jerusalem

  1014. to

  1015. the

  1016. coming

  1017. of the

  1018. anointed

  1019. one

  1020. a

  1021. prince

  1022. there

  1023. shall

  1024. be

  1025. seven

  1026. weeks.

  1027. Then

  1028. for

  1029. sixty-two

  1030. weeks

  1031. it

  1032. shall

  1033. be

  1034. built

  1035. again

  1036. with

  1037. squares

  1038. and

  1039. moat

  1040. but

  1041. in

  1042. a

  1043. troubled

  1044. time

  1045. and

  1046. after

  1047. the

  1048. sixty-two

  1049. weeks

  1050. an

  1051. anointed

  1052. one

  1053. shall

  1054. be

  1055. cut

  1056. off

  1057. shall

  1058. have

  1059. nothing

  1060. and

  1061. the

  1062. people

  1063. of

  1064. the

  1065. prince

  1066. who

  1067. is

  1068. to

  1069. come

  1070. shall

  1071. destroy

  1072. the

  1073. city

  1074. and

  1075. the

  1076. sanctuary

  1077. its

  1078. end

  1079. shall

  1080. come

  1081. with

  1082. a

  1083. flood

  1084. and

  1085. to

  1086. the

  1087. end

  1088. there

  1089. shall

  1090. be

  1091. war

  1092. desolations

  1093. are

  1094. decreed

  1095. and

  1096. he

  1097. shall

  1098. make

  1099. a

  1100. strong

  1101. covenant

  1102. with

  1103. many

  1104. for

  1105. one

  1106. week

  1107. and

  1108. for

  1109. half

  1110. of

  1111. the

  1112. week

  1113. he

  1114. shall

  1115. put

  1116. an

  1117. end

  1118. to

  1119. sacrifice

  1120. and

  1121. offering

  1122. and

  1123. on

  1124. the

  1125. wing

  1126. of

  1127. abominations

  1128. shall

  1129. come

  1130. one

  1131. who

  1132. makes

  1133. desolate

  1134. until

  1135. the

  1136. decreed

  1137. end

  1138. is

  1139. poured

  1140. out

  1141. on

  1142. the

  1143. desolator

  1144. so

  1145. here's

  1146. what we

  1147. begin

  1148. to

  1149. see

  1150. Daniel

  1151. comes

  1152. before

  1153. the

  1154. Lord

  1155. thinking

  1156. that

  1157. all

  1158. of

  1159. this

  1160. will

  1161. come

  1162. to

  1163. an

  1164. end

  1165. and

  1166. God

  1167. gives

  1168. clarity

  1169. to

  1170. Daniel

  1171. what

  1172. we

  1173. see

  1174. here's

  1175. some

  1176. things

  1177. that

  1178. we

  1179. can

  1180. draw

  1181. from

  1182. to

  1183. help

  1184. us

  1185. kind

  1186. of

  1187. understand

  1188. big

  1189. picture

  1190. what's

  1191. being

  1192. communicated

  1193. in

  1194. this

  1195. from

  1196. God

  1197. to

  1198. Daniel

  1199. in

  1200. verses

  1201. 24

  1202. through

  1203. 27

  1204. the

  1205. sevens

  1206. here

  1207. represent

  1208. not

  1209. weeks

  1210. but

  1211. years

  1212. and

  1213. so

  1214. what

  1215. we

  1216. find

  1217. in

  1218. the

  1219. 70

  1220. there's

  1221. a

  1222. seven

  1223. times

  1224. 70

  1225. pattern

  1226. of

  1227. what's

  1228. there

  1229. when

  1230. you

  1231. look

  1232. at

  1233. ancient

  1234. Hebrew

  1235. writing

  1236. and

  1237. so

  1238. the

  1239. time

  1240. referred

  1241. to

  1242. will

  1243. not

  1244. be

  1245. one

  1246. of

  1247. seven

  1248. or

  1249. of

  1250. 70

  1251. but

  1252. of

  1253. 490

  1254. years

  1255. the

  1256. prophecy

  1257. speaks

  1258. to

  1259. the

  1260. rebuilding

  1261. of

  1262. Jerusalem

  1263. as

  1264. given

  1265. to

  1266. Ezra

  1267. and

  1268. or

  1269. Nehemiah

  1270. it

  1271. speaks

  1272. to the

  1273. coming

  1274. of

  1275. Christ

  1276. to

  1277. his

  1278. earthly

  1279. ministry

  1280. and

  1281. to

  1282. his

  1283. crucifixion

  1284. and

  1285. it

  1286. foreshadows

  1287. the

  1288. end

  1289. times

  1290. and

  1291. we

  1292. see

  1293. it

  1294. spanned

  1295. over

  1296. a

  1297. quarter

  1298. of

  1299. weeks

  1300. broken

  1301. up

  1302. into

  1303. a

  1304. seven

  1305. week

  1306. 62

  1307. week

  1308. an

  1309. undetermined

  1310. time

  1311. period

  1312. and

  1313. then

  1314. a

  1315. one

  1316. week

  1317. now

  1318. here's

  1319. what

  1320. becomes

  1321. extremely

  1322. difficult

  1323. within

  1324. this

  1325. it's

  1326. figuring

  1327. out

  1328. the

  1329. numbers

  1330. figuring

  1331. out

  1332. the

  1333. numbers

  1334. this

  1335. morning

  1336. during

  1337. our

  1338. nine

  1339. o'clock

  1340. study

  1341. the

  1342. group

  1343. of

  1344. just

  1345. faithful

  1346. that

  1347. love

  1348. the

  1349. Lord

  1350. that

  1351. have

  1352. been

  1353. with

  1354. me

  1355. and

  1356. they've

  1357. been

  1358. enduring

  1359. with

  1360. me

  1361. not

  1362. that

  1363. the

  1364. rest

  1365. of

  1366. you

  1367. don't

  1368. love

  1369. the

  1370. Lord

  1371. but

  1372. I'm

  1373. seeing

  1374. their

  1375. relationship

  1376. as I'm

  1377. trying to

  1378. talk about

  1379. eschatology

  1380. with them

  1381. and I said

  1382. I'm

  1383. challenging

  1384. myself

  1385. today

  1386. to walk

  1387. all the

  1388. way

  1389. through

  1390. from

  1391. verse

  1392. one

  1393. of

  1394. revelation

  1395. to the

  1396. very

  1397. end

  1398. of

  1399. revelation

  1400. in

  1401. 40

  1402. minutes

  1403. do

  1404. you

  1405. think

  1406. I

  1407. did

  1408. it

  1409. it

  1410. took

  1411. me

  1412. 47

  1413. 47

  1414. and we

  1415. didn't

  1416. get it

  1417. all

  1418. we

  1419. didn't

  1420. get it

  1421. all

  1422. and I

  1423. said

  1424. we're

  1425. not

  1426. going

  1427. to

  1428. get

  1429. it

  1430. all

  1431. but

  1432. what

  1433. we

  1434. want

  1435. to

  1436. get

  1437. is

  1438. we

  1439. want

  1440. to

  1441. get

  1442. these

  1443. big

  1444. picture

  1445. ideas

  1446. as we

  1447. go

  1448. forward

  1449. over

  1450. the

  1451. next

  1452. three

  1453. weeks

  1454. so we

  1455. can

  1456. begin

  1457. to

  1458. peel

  1459. back

  1460. and get

  1461. some

  1462. understanding

  1463. of what's

  1464. there

  1465. and in

  1466. my

  1467. conversations

  1468. with

  1469. one

  1470. of

  1471. the

  1472. individuals

  1473. afterwards

  1474. she

  1475. said

  1476. just a

  1477. beautiful

  1478. encouragement

  1479. to me

  1480. she said

  1481. you know

  1482. sometimes

  1483. I feel

  1484. like

  1485. we

  1486. want

  1487. to

  1488. focus

  1489. in

  1490. on

  1491. the

  1492. confusing

  1493. parts

  1494. of

  1495. what's

  1496. there

  1497. instead

  1498. of

  1499. clinging

  1500. to

  1501. the

  1502. truth

  1503. that

  1504. God's

  1505. making

  1506. known

  1507. to

  1508. us

  1509. be

  1510. honest

  1511. with

  1512. you

  1513. I've

  1514. spent

  1515. more

  1516. time

  1517. and

  1518. more

  1519. pages

  1520. over

  1521. the

  1522. last

  1523. several

  1524. weeks

  1525. trying

  1526. to

  1527. figure

  1528. out

  1529. a

  1530. handful

  1531. of

  1532. verses

  1533. that's

  1534. here

  1535. when

  1536. the

  1537. truth

  1538. in

  1539. my

  1540. limited

  1541. capacity

  1542. in

  1543. my

  1544. limited

  1545. sanctification

  1546. in

  1547. my

  1548. limited

  1549. intelligence

  1550. brings

  1551. me to

  1552. that

  1553. Daniel

  1554. 9

  1555. amen

  1556. church

  1557. like

  1558. points us

  1559. to

  1560. Jesus

  1561. it

  1562. points us

  1563. to

  1564. Jesus

  1565. and it's

  1566. a great

  1567. encouragement

  1568. for those

  1569. of us

  1570. who are

  1571. in

  1572. Christ

  1573. but I

  1574. also

  1575. want it

  1576. to be

  1577. an

  1578. encouragement

  1579. for you

  1580. if you're

  1581. here

  1582. and you

  1583. don't

  1584. know

  1585. Christ

  1586. that

  1587. he'll

  1588. hear

  1589. you

  1590. and that

  1591. he loves

  1592. you

  1593. I believe

  1594. that these

  1595. four verses

  1596. have four

  1597. things that

  1598. stand out

  1599. that I

  1600. want to

  1601. point you

  1602. toward

  1603. this

  1604. morning

  1605. number

  1606. one

  1607. I believe

  1608. that it

  1609. says that

  1610. God has

  1611. a plan

  1612. to save

  1613. sinful

  1614. people

  1615. number

  1616. one

  1617. that God

  1618. has a

  1619. plan

  1620. to save

  1621. sinful

  1622. people

  1623. there's

  1624. times

  1625. there's

  1626. rebuilding

  1627. a temple

  1628. there's

  1629. rebuilding

  1630. a city

  1631. there's

  1632. rebuilding

  1633. the things

  1634. that need

  1635. to be

  1636. done

  1637. that are

  1638. talked to

  1639. and referenced

  1640. but it

  1641. says that

  1642. there's a

  1643. savior

  1644. who's to

  1645. come

  1646. and a

  1647. savior

  1648. comes

  1649. for obvious

  1650. reasons

  1651. to save

  1652. because no

  1653. one

  1654. on the

  1655. earth

  1656. both

  1657. then

  1658. or today

  1659. can save

  1660. themselves

  1661. and so

  1662. God

  1663. has a

  1664. plan

  1665. to save

  1666. sinful

  1667. people

  1668. Romans

  1669. 3 23

  1670. if you're

  1671. like but

  1672. why are you

  1673. pointing fingers

  1674. at me

  1675. telling me

  1676. that I'm

  1677. a sinful

  1678. person

  1679. because

  1680. the Bible

  1681. says

  1682. and so

  1683. I believe

  1684. that all

  1685. have sinned

  1686. both you

  1687. me

  1688. your grandma

  1689. my mom

  1690. my wife

  1691. my son

  1692. my daughter

  1693. everybody

  1694. else

  1695. that all

  1696. have sinned

  1697. and fallen

  1698. short of

  1699. the glory

  1700. of God

  1701. Daniel

  1702. has sinned

  1703. and fallen

  1704. short of

  1705. the glory

  1706. of God

  1707. you have

  1708. sinned

  1709. and fallen

  1710. short of

  1711. the glory

  1712. of God

  1713. I have

  1714. sinned

  1715. and fallen

  1716. short of

  1717. the glory

  1718. of God

  1719. and the

  1720. main

  1721. concern

  1722. about that

  1723. with us

  1724. is Paul

  1725. later

  1726. tells us

  1727. in Romans

  1728. 6 23

  1729. for the

  1730. wages

  1731. of sin

  1732. is death

  1733. for the

  1734. wages

  1735. of sin

  1736. is death

  1737. and it's

  1738. speaking to

  1739. an eternal

  1740. death

  1741. and so

  1742. God

  1743. as he

  1744. saves

  1745. his people

  1746. the wonderful

  1747. theme

  1748. of what we

  1749. see throughout

  1750. all scripture

  1751. that as

  1752. God

  1753. saves

  1754. people

  1755. that God

  1756. has a plan

  1757. to save

  1758. you

  1759. and God

  1760. has a plan

  1761. to save

  1762. me

  1763. and what's

  1764. his plan

  1765. what's

  1766. his plan

  1767. number

  1768. two

  1769. God

  1770. is going

  1771. to deal

  1772. with sin

  1773. through the

  1774. sacrifice

  1775. of Jesus

  1776. God's

  1777. going to

  1778. deal

  1779. with sin

  1780. through the

  1781. sacrifice

  1782. of Jesus

  1783. Daniel 9

  1784. points us

  1785. to this

  1786. of who

  1787. will come

  1788. and what

  1789. he will

  1790. do

  1791. one of my

  1792. favorite

  1793. Old Testament

  1794. prophets

  1795. is Isaiah

  1796. one of my

  1797. favorite

  1798. passages

  1799. of scripture

  1800. is Isaiah

  1801. 53

  1802. and in

  1803. that

  1804. Isaiah

  1805. writes

  1806. but he

  1807. was pierced

  1808. for

  1809. whose

  1810. transgressions

  1811. our

  1812. transgressions

  1813. he was

  1814. crushed

  1815. for whose

  1816. iniquities

  1817. ours

  1818. upon him

  1819. was the

  1820. chastisement

  1821. that brought

  1822. us

  1823. peace

  1824. and with

  1825. his

  1826. wounds

  1827. we

  1828. are

  1829. healed

  1830. God says

  1831. I got a

  1832. plan

  1833. and the

  1834. plan

  1835. is

  1836. Jesus

  1837. and here's

  1838. what

  1839. Jesus

  1840. is going

  1841. to do

  1842. Jesus

  1843. is going

  1844. to die

  1845. for you

  1846. he's going

  1847. to die

  1848. for you

  1849. he's not

  1850. showing up

  1851. with gold

  1852. that someone

  1853. sent him

  1854. he's not

  1855. showing up

  1856. with a list

  1857. of check

  1858. these boxes

  1859. to right

  1860. these wrongs

  1861. Jesus

  1862. saying there's

  1863. nothing

  1864. that can

  1865. be given

  1866. in order

  1867. to

  1868. appease

  1869. the holiness

  1870. of God

  1871. for the

  1872. wickedness

  1873. of your

  1874. heart

  1875. except

  1876. for

  1877. Jesus

  1878. and so

  1879. God has

  1880. a plan

  1881. and his

  1882. plan

  1883. is his

  1884. son

  1885. his

  1886. son

  1887. and he

  1888. sends

  1889. him

  1890. to

  1891. save

  1892. you

  1893. the third

  1894. thing

  1895. that we

  1896. see

  1897. in here

  1898. is that

  1899. God will

  1900. judge

  1901. all

  1902. God

  1903. will

  1904. judge

  1905. all

  1906. but

  1907. Bo

  1908. I'm

  1909. good

  1910. I'm

  1911. good

  1912. but

  1913. Bo

  1914. I do

  1915. good

  1916. things

  1917. but

  1918. Bo

  1919. I do

  1920. religious

  1921. things

  1922. like

  1923. don't

  1924. you

  1925. understand

  1926. like

  1927. this

  1928. is

  1929. who

  1930. I

  1931. am

  1932. like

  1933. I

  1934. give

  1935. to

  1936. people

  1937. I

  1938. love

  1939. people

  1940. I

  1941. serve

  1942. people

  1943. well can I tell you

  1944. apart from

  1945. Christ

  1946. in the world

  1947. of giving

  1948. trophies

  1949. great

  1950. but apart

  1951. from Christ

  1952. when it

  1953. comes to

  1954. eternity

  1955. it just

  1956. doesn't

  1957. matter

  1958. it just

  1959. doesn't

  1960. matter

  1961. apart

  1962. from

  1963. Christ

  1964. here's

  1965. what

  1966. Jesus

  1967. says

  1968. in

  1969. Matthew

  1970. 7

  1971. 21

  1972. through

  1973. 23

  1974. not

  1975. everyone

  1976. who

  1977. says

  1978. to me

  1979. Lord

  1980. Lord

  1981. will

  1982. enter

  1983. the

  1984. kingdom

  1985. of

  1986. heaven

  1987. but

  1988. the

  1989. one

  1990. who

  1991. does

  1992. the

  1993. will

  1994. of

  1995. my

  1996. father

  1997. who

  1998. is

  1999. in

  2000. heaven

  2001. on

  2002. that

  2003. day

  2004. many

  2005. will

  2006. say

  2007. to

  2008. me

  2009. Lord

  2010. Lord

  2011. do

  2012. we

  2013. not

  2014. prophesy

  2015. in

  2016. your

  2017. name

  2018. and

  2019. cast

  2020. out

  2021. demons

  2022. in

  2023. your

  2024. name

  2025. and

  2026. how

  2027. many

  2028. mighty

  2029. works

  2030. in

  2031. your

  2032. name

  2033. and

  2034. then

  2035. I

  2036. will

  2037. declare

  2038. to

  2039. them

  2040. I

  2041. never

  2042. knew

  2043. you

  2044. depart

  2045. from

  2046. me

  2047. you

  2048. workers

  2049. of

  2050. lawlessness

  2051. remember

  2052. it's

  2053. covenant

  2054. it's

  2055. relationship

  2056. and

  2057. then

  2058. obedience

  2059. if

  2060. anyone

  2061. ever

  2062. tells

  2063. you

  2064. if

  2065. anyone

  2066. ever

  2067. tells

  2068. you

  2069. that

  2070. in

  2071. order

  2072. to

  2073. be

  2074. in

  2075. covenant

  2076. relationship

  2077. with

  2078. God

  2079. here's

  2080. what

  2081. you

  2082. must

  2083. do

  2084. first

  2085. don't

  2086. listen

  2087. it's

  2088. not

  2089. about

  2090. the

  2091. work

  2092. it's

  2093. about

  2094. God

  2095. it's

  2096. not

  2097. about

  2098. what

  2099. you

  2100. must

  2101. do

  2102. it's

  2103. about

  2104. what

  2105. a

  2106. savior

  2107. has

  2108. done

  2109. and

  2110. that's

  2111. how

  2112. we

  2113. come

  2114. to

  2115. him

  2116. but

  2117. then

  2118. from

  2119. that

  2120. from

  2121. that's

  2122. the

  2123. heart

  2124. of

  2125. obedience

  2126. and

  2127. said

  2128. but

  2129. Lord

  2130. here's

  2131. what

  2132. we

  2133. did

  2134. we

  2135. prophesied

  2136. in

  2137. your

  2138. name

  2139. we

  2140. cast

  2141. out

  2142. demons

  2143. in

  2144. your

  2145. name

  2146. we

  2147. did

  2148. these

  2149. mighty

  2150. works

  2151. in

  2152. your

  2153. name

  2154. but

  2155. Jesus

  2156. says

  2157. but

  2158. you

  2159. weren't

  2160. in

  2161. me

  2162. you

  2163. weren't

  2164. in

  2165. me

  2166. Paul

  2167. writes

  2168. to

  2169. the

  2170. church

  2171. in

  2172. Philippi

  2173. in

  2174. Philippians

  2175. 3

  2176. and

  2177. here's

  2178. what

  2179. he

  2180. says

  2181. about

  2182. himself

  2183. for

  2184. we

  2185. are

  2186. the

  2187. circumcision

  2188. who

  2189. worship

  2190. by the

  2191. spirit

  2192. of

  2193. God

  2194. and

  2195. glory

  2196. in

  2197. Christ

  2198. Jesus

  2199. and

  2200. put

  2201. no

  2202. confidence

  2203. in

  2204. the

  2205. flesh

  2206. though

  2207. though

  2208. I

  2209. myself

  2210. have

  2211. reason

  2212. for

  2213. confidence

  2214. in

  2215. the

  2216. flesh

  2217. also

  2218. if

  2219. anyone

  2220. else

  2221. thinks

  2222. he

  2223. has

  2224. reason

  2225. for

  2226. confidence

  2227. in

  2228. flesh

  2229. here's

  2230. what

  2231. Paul

  2232. says

  2233. I

  2234. have

  2235. more

  2236. Paul

  2237. says

  2238. if

  2239. you

  2240. think

  2241. you're

  2242. obedient

  2243. I've

  2244. been

  2245. more

  2246. obedient

  2247. circumcised

  2248. on the

  2249. eighth

  2250. day

  2251. of

  2252. the

  2253. people

  2254. of

  2255. Israel

  2256. of

  2257. the

  2258. tribe

  2259. of

  2260. Benjamin

  2261. a

  2262. Hebrew

  2263. of

  2264. Hebrews

  2265. as

  2266. to

  2267. the

  2268. law

  2269. a

  2270. Pharisee

  2271. as

  2272. to

  2273. zeal

  2274. a

  2275. persecutor

  2276. of

  2277. the

  2278. church

  2279. as

  2280. to

  2281. righteousness

  2282. under

  2283. the

  2284. law

  2285. blameless

  2286. but

  2287. whatever

  2288. gain

  2289. I

  2290. had

  2291. as

  2292. loss

  2293. for

  2294. the

  2295. sake

  2296. of

  2297. Christ

  2298. indeed

  2299. I

  2300. count

  2301. everything

  2302. as

  2303. loss

  2304. because

  2305. of

  2306. the

  2307. surpassing

  2308. worth

  2309. of

  2310. knowing

  2311. Christ

  2312. Jesus

  2313. my

  2314. Lord

  2315. for

  2316. his

  2317. sake

  2318. I

  2319. have

  2320. suffered

  2321. the

  2322. loss

  2323. of

  2324. all

  2325. things

  2326. and

  2327. count

  2328. them

  2329. rubbish

  2330. in

  2331. order

  2332. that

  2333. I

  2334. might

  2335. gain

  2336. Christ

  2337. and

  2338. be

  2339. found

  2340. in

  2341. him

  2342. not

  2343. having

  2344. a

  2345. righteousness

  2346. of

  2347. my

  2348. own

  2349. that

  2350. comes

  2351. from

  2352. the

  2353. law

  2354. but

  2355. that

  2356. which

  2357. comes

  2358. through

  2359. faith

  2360. in

  2361. Christ

  2362. the

  2363. righteousness

  2364. from

  2365. God

  2366. that

  2367. depends

  2368. on

  2369. faith

  2370. that

  2371. I

  2372. may

  2373. know

  2374. him

  2375. that

  2376. by

  2377. any

  2378. means

  2379. possible

  2380. I

  2381. may

  2382. attain

  2383. the

  2384. resurrection

  2385. from

  2386. the

  2387. dead

  2388. here's

  2389. what he

  2390. says

  2391. in

  2392. Galatians

  2393. 2

  2394. 19

  2395. through

  2396. 20

  2397. for

  2398. through

  2399. the

  2400. law

  2401. I

  2402. died

  2403. to

  2404. the

  2405. law

  2406. so

  2407. that

  2408. I

  2409. might

  2410. live

  2411. to

  2412. God

  2413. Paul

  2414. says

  2415. you

  2416. gotta

  2417. die

  2418. you

  2419. gotta

  2420. die

  2421. you

  2422. gotta

  2423. die

  2424. in

  2425. order

  2426. to

  2427. live

  2428. he

  2429. says

  2430. I've

  2431. been

  2432. crucified

  2433. with

  2434. Christ

  2435. I've

  2436. been

  2437. crucified

  2438. with

  2439. Christ

  2440. so

  2441. here's

  2442. what

  2443. happened

  2444. for

  2445. those

  2446. of

  2447. you

  2448. in

  2449. faith

  2450. in

  2451. Christ

  2452. Jesus

  2453. here's

  2454. what

  2455. is

  2456. beautiful

  2457. of what

  2458. God

  2459. did

  2460. for

  2461. you

  2462. in

  2463. your

  2464. salvation

  2465. even

  2466. though

  2467. man

  2468. man

  2469. your

  2470. birth

  2471. is

  2472. a

  2473. long

  2474. way

  2475. after

  2476. that

  2477. you

  2478. died

  2479. with

  2480. him

  2481. with

  2482. him

  2483. you

  2484. died

  2485. I've

  2486. been

  2487. crucified

  2488. with

  2489. Christ

  2490. so

  2491. now

  2492. it

  2493. is

  2494. no

  2495. longer

  2496. I

  2497. who

  2498. live

  2499. but

  2500. who

  2501. Christ

  2502. who

  2503. lives

  2504. in

  2505. me

  2506. and

  2507. the

  2508. life

  2509. I

  2510. now

  2511. live

  2512. in

  2513. the

  2514. flesh

  2515. I

  2516. live

  2517. by

  2518. faith

  2519. in

  2520. the

  2521. son

  2522. of

  2523. God

  2524. who

  2525. loved

  2526. me

  2527. and

  2528. gave

  2529. himself

  2530. up

  2531. for

  2532. me

  2533. in

  2534. order to

  2535. live

  2536. I

  2537. must

  2538. die

  2539. and

  2540. there's

  2541. not a

  2542. work

  2543. that a

  2544. dead

  2545. man

  2546. can

  2547. do

  2548. to bring

  2549. himself

  2550. back to

  2551. life

  2552. is

  2553. found

  2554. in

  2555. Christ

  2556. and

  2557. in

  2558. Christ

  2559. alone

  2560. and

  2561. the

  2562. last

  2563. God

  2564. will

  2565. destroy

  2566. his

  2567. enemies

  2568. God

  2569. will

  2570. destroy

  2571. his

  2572. enemies

  2573. we

  2574. see

  2575. the

  2576. antichrist

  2577. in

  2578. this

  2579. passage

  2580. the

  2581. little

  2582. horn

  2583. reference

  2584. back

  2585. to

  2586. Daniel

  2587. chapter

  2588. seven

  2589. from

  2590. a few

  2591. weeks

  2592. ago

  2593. God

  2594. says

  2595. he's

  2596. going

  2597. to

  2598. have

  2599. his

  2600. time

  2601. he's

  2602. going

  2603. to

  2604. have

  2605. his

  2606. reign

  2607. he's

  2608. going

  2609. to

  2610. have

  2611. his

  2612. rule

  2613. but

  2614. enduring

  2615. his

  2616. reign

  2617. he

  2618. will

  2619. exalt

  2620. himself

  2621. he

  2622. will

  2623. forbid

  2624. worship

  2625. of

  2626. God

  2627. he

  2628. will

  2629. promote

  2630. idolatry

  2631. but

  2632. in

  2633. the

  2634. end

  2635. he

  2636. will

  2637. come

  2638. to

  2639. an

  2640. end

  2641. Daniel

  2642. 9

  2643. 27

  2644. says

  2645. that

  2646. decreed

  2647. end

  2648. is

  2649. poured

  2650. out

  2651. on the

  2652. desolator

  2653. see

  2654. God

  2655. will

  2656. judge

  2657. I

  2658. say

  2659. this

  2660. in

  2661. compassion

  2662. and

  2663. in

  2664. honesty

  2665. if you

  2666. don't

  2667. believe

  2668. that

  2669. I'm

  2670. sorry

  2671. but

  2672. God

  2673. will

  2674. judge

  2675. and

  2676. in

  2677. his

  2678. judgment

  2679. there's

  2680. the

  2681. righteous

  2682. and

  2683. the

  2684. unrighteous

  2685. and

  2686. what

  2687. makes

  2688. you

  2689. righteous

  2690. is

  2691. not

  2692. you

  2693. it's

  2694. Jesus

  2695. and

  2696. it

  2697. doesn't

  2698. come

  2699. because

  2700. you've

  2701. earned

  2702. it

  2703. it

  2704. doesn't

  2705. come

  2706. because

  2707. you've

  2708. worked

  2709. for

  2710. it

  2711. it

  2712. doesn't

  2713. come

  2714. because

  2715. you

  2716. deserved

  2717. it

  2718. in

  2719. fact

  2720. what

  2721. you

  2722. and

  2723. I

  2724. have

  2725. worked

  2726. for

  2727. what

  2728. you

  2729. and

  2730. I

  2731. have

  2732. earned

  2733. what

  2734. you

  2735. and

  2736. I

  2737. have

  2738. deserved

  2739. is

  2740. the

  2741. wrong

  2742. side

  2743. of

  2744. judgment

  2745. but

  2746. he

  2747. offers

  2748. he

  2749. offers

  2750. through

  2751. Christ

  2752. and

  2753. through

  2754. Christ

  2755. alone

  2756. righteousness

  2757. and

  2758. judgment

  2759. my

  2760. question

  2761. for

  2762. you

  2763. today

  2764. is

  2765. on

  2766. what

  2767. side

  2768. of

  2769. judgment

  2770. will

  2771. will

  2772. you

  2773. fall

  2774. on

  2775. what

  2776. side

  2777. of

  2778. judgment

  2779. will

  2780. you

  2781. fall

  2782. the

  2783. older

  2784. I

  2785. get

  2786. I

  2787. used to

  2788. think

  2789. every year

  2790. was a

  2791. blessing

  2792. now

  2793. it

  2794. feels

  2795. like

  2796. every

  2797. breath

  2798. is

  2799. and

  2800. we're

  2801. not

  2802. promised

  2803. not

  2804. just

  2805. not

  2806. tomorrow

  2807. but

  2808. we're

  2809. not

  2810. promised

  2811. the

  2812. next

  2813. moment

  2814. and

  2815. the

  2816. most

  2817. critical

  2818. question

  2819. of

  2820. your

  2821. heart

  2822. in

  2823. understanding

  2824. the

  2825. impact

  2826. of

  2827. the

  2828. moment

  2829. should

  2830. be

  2831. where

  2832. do

  2833. I

  2834. stand

  2835. with

  2836. Jesus

  2837. have

  2838. I

  2839. made

  2840. the

  2841. choice

  2842. to

  2843. follow

  2844. him

  2845. to

  2846. acknowledge

  2847. that

  2848. I'm

  2849. a

  2850. sinner

  2851. who

  2852. needs

  2853. a

  2854. savior

  2855. and

  2856. to

  2857. know

  2858. that

  2859. that

  2860. only

  2861. savior

  2862. is

  2863. Jesus

  2864. I'm

  2865. going to

  2866. ask the

  2867. worship

  2868. team

  2869. if

  2870. they'll

  2871. come

  2872. back

  2873. on

  2874. stage

  2875. this

  2876. morning

  2877. as

  2878. they

  2879. come

  2880. I

  2881. want

  2882. to

  2883. read

  2884. to

  2885. you

  2886. what

  2887. Paul

  2888. wrote

  2889. first

  2890. Timothy

  2891. chapter

  2892. two

  2893. says

  2894. first

  2895. of

  2896. all

  2897. then

  2898. I

  2899. urge

  2900. with

  2901. supplications

  2902. prayers

  2903. intercessions

  2904. and

  2905. thanksgiving

  2906. be made

  2907. for all

  2908. people

  2909. for

  2910. kings

  2911. and all

  2912. who are

  2913. in high

  2914. positions

  2915. that

  2916. we may

  2917. lead

  2918. a peaceful

  2919. and quiet

  2920. life

  2921. godly

  2922. and

  2923. dignified

  2924. in every

  2925. way

  2926. this

  2927. is

  2928. good

  2929. and

  2930. it

  2931. is

  2932. pleasing

  2933. in

  2934. the

  2935. sight

  2936. of

  2937. God

  2938. our

  2939. savior

  2940. who

  2941. desires

  2942. all

  2943. people

  2944. to

  2945. be

  2946. saved

  2947. and

  2948. come

  2949. to

  2950. the

  2951. knowledge

  2952. of

  2953. the

  2954. truth

  2955. for

  2956. there

  2957. is

  2958. one

  2959. god

  2960. and

  2961. there

  2962. is

  2963. one

  2964. mediator

  2965. between

  2966. god

  2967. and

  2968. men

  2969. the

  2970. man

  2971. christ

  2972. jesus

  2973. who

  2974. gave

  2975. himself

  2976. as a

  2977. ransom

  2978. for

  2979. all

  2980. which

  2981. is

  2982. the

  2983. testimony

  2984. given

  2985. at the

  2986. proper

  2987. time

  2988. that's

  2989. that's

  2990. that's

  2991. it

  2992. for

  2993. this

  2994. week's

  2995. message

  2996. be

  2997. sure

  2998. to

  2999. check

  3000. back

  3001. next

  3002. week

  3003. for

  3004. a

  3005. new

  3006. episode

  3007. and

  3008. in

  3009. the

  3010. meantime

  3011. you

  3012. can

  3013. visit

  3014. us

  3015. online

  3016. at

  3017. willowridgechurch.org

  3018. or by

  3019. searching for

  3020. Willowridge Church

  3021. on Facebook

  3022. Instagram

  3023. and YouTube

  3024. thanks again

  3025. for listening

  3026. and YouTube