I just sense the presence of God in this place this morning, and I just want to pray for us. Can we do that? Can you just lift your hands here?
Benson, North Raleigh, just stop for a second. I know we've got service and you've got plans at Golden Corral, but just stop for a second. Father, we just invite your presence again this morning. I pray that you would move in our hearts, God. Help us to become more and more like you.
God, do what you're continuing to do. Lord, we step out of the way. We say, Holy Spirit, come and speak to us this morning. God, we open our hearts to you. If there's any areas in our heart that have not been searched, Lord, will you search them that we would become more and more and more and more like you? This in Jesus' name that we pray here at Benson and at North Raleigh, God, we bless the name of Jesus.
Come on. And the family said, Amen and Amen. Thank you. If you have your Bibles, do me a favor and turn with me to the Book of Daniel. The Book of Daniel. We've been in a series in Daniel, and if you have not heard any of the messages from our pastor, I want to encourage you to go back and do so.
They've been incredible teachings, been incredible teachings. And so, we're going to carry on with the Book of Daniel this morning in Daniel Chapter 9. Daniel Chapter 9.
Open your Bibles, but don't get too comfortable because I believe the Lord has a word for us this morning. And this is what the Bible says. It says, In the first year of Darius, the son of a very famous dinosaur, Ahasuerus.
Come on now. A mead by birth who was made king over the Chaldean kingdom. In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord, to the prophet Jeremiah, that the number of years of desolation for Jerusalem would be 70. So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God, and I confessed. This morning, church, I want to talk to you from the subject for a brief moment, the subject of both.
Both. Let's pray. Father, I thank you that you're here. Speak to our hearts.
Let us get out of the way. God, I don't omit myself from the word. I pray that you speak to me, speak through me, God, and help us to be more like you. In Jesus' name. Amen.
The subject of both. I don't know about you guys. Maybe you haven't heard from me in the past, but if you don't know, now you know I'm a Texas boy. I'm a Texas boy. I am from Dallas, Texas.
Come on now, on my 214. Ain't nobody here from Texas, but I am a Texas. I'm a Texas boy. As a matter of fact, the fact that I have told you that I'm a Texas boy is proof positive that you already know I'm a Texas boy, because anybody from Texas is going to always talk about Texas. There's just something about the Texas pride that comes through. If you know anything about Texas, I am from Dallas, Texas. That means I am a Dallas Cowboy fan, so come on, you can bring on the hay. We used to it already.
It's all good. I ain't worried about it. Another thing that you need to know about Texas is that we don't have seasons in Texas, y'all. We don't have seasons in Dallas.
It legitimately goes from blazing hot to just cold wind blowing through your veins. I'm telling you, y'all are like, it ain't cold in Texas. Baby, you ain't never lived in Texas if you think it ain't cold, because that wind ain't got no trees to stop it.
It is freezing in Dallas in the wintertime. There's no seasons. As a matter of fact, in Texas, it's just like overnight, it goes from green, one tree that we have, to just brown, dark, dead, just like that. There's no warning. There's no, hey, I'm about to come and change the season.
It's just boom, done. That's Texas weather for you. Seasons. I never really understood the appreciation for seasons until actually I moved to New England.
I moved to New England, I took a job up there, I ransacked New England, I found my wife, and then I got the heaven out of there. You know what I'm saying? Just like you. I know you from up north, don't worry. We know. We see where you live in Cary, but anyways, that's the whole... We know.
Benson's like, nah, baby, we staying in Benson. I don't blame you, homie. I got out of there, man, and I started growing in my appreciation for seasons. Matter of fact, I anticipate them now.
I get excited for them. I look around and I begin to see when the flowers are blooming, spring is getting ready to come. I see that when the leaves are beginning to change color, that fall is getting ready to come. There is something beautiful about seasons.
They come and they go, but there's something majestic about them. Seasons are an awesome thing. Here, Daniel is letting us in on some insight that seasons are shifting. Seasons are shifting with Daniel. The world events are taking place, the shuffle is occurring, and now all of a sudden, Daniel finds himself in a place where a new king has come to town. A new season has dawned, a new season has come, and now Darius has taken over at the rains.
A season is shifting. And the Bible says this, it says, in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord that the number of years for Jerusalem would be 70. I, Daniel, understood from the books from the word of the Lord. Do you see Daniel has the wherewithal to be able to see what has taken place in his world events, correlate them with Scripture so that he could seek Lord on what he should do.
The Bible says he understood the books from the word of the Lord. Let me jump on my pastor's soapbox for a quick second, but it is imperative that you actually take the time to learn your word. Oh God, that we would always be a church that puts the word first.
I know you think it's about Sunday morning service and showing up cute in your Sunday best, but really, the reality is I am more concerned with how you are growing on the inside than how you are looking on the outside. It is imperative that you learn the word of the Lord. As a matter of fact, there is nothing more frustrating to a pastor than Christians that do not have any type of appetite to learn their word. And I am encouraging you, imploring you this morning, learn your word. Take the time to understand what God is saying. It ain't about the Sunday morning event. It ain't about you just showing up, moving the parking space as a first time giver so that you can pull in. I know you do that. We see you.
We got it on camera. It ain't about that. I'm about you learning the word of the living God. The Bible says that Daniel understood his word and as a result of knowing his word, he could take the current world circumstances and apply the word of God to gain understanding as to what should take place. This is why it is important that you learn your word. Daniel understood the word and church, so should you.
The Bible says this. It says that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be 70. What in the world are you talking about, Daniel?
What do you mean it should be 70? See, in order to truly understand what Daniel is talking about, you need to know a little bit about your church history. If you've been here for the last few weeks, you know the pastor's been talking about Daniel. If you've been keeping up with what he is preaching, you understand that they are already in exile by the time Daniel is writing. The children of God were sent into exile in Babylon because they had rebelled against God and turned their backs against the Lord.
And as a result, they're sent into exile. Now, church history would tell us that the waves of exile were actually done in three separate waves themselves. First, it would be 605 B.C., where the first wave would be sent to Babylon, and within 605 B.C., they would have taken the upper echelon, the governing authorities. As a matter of fact, Daniel would have been in this wave as a young teenager being sent into Babylon. The second wave would occur a few years later in 597 B.C., where 11,000 more people would be sent into Babylon, and another prophet by the name of Ezekiel would be sent into Babylon with them.
This is why it's important to know your word so you can layer the books and understand what is taking place. A few years later, 586 B.C., the last wave of exiles would be sent to Babylon. All of the remaining people of Judah would be sent, with the exception of the poorest of poor and the exception of the elderly that were just seen as unfit to make the journey. As a matter of fact, within this last wave, the people that stayed back, the prophet Jeremiah would have been staying back in Jerusalem because he was in the latter half of his ministry.
Stick with me. But when Jeremiah was at the height of his ministry, he would prophesy to the people saying, if you don't change your ways and stop worshiping idols, destruction is going to come. The people of Israel would not heed the advice of the prophets, and they would continue going on to do what they had been doing, and all of a sudden, as we know on the other side of history, destruction came. But Jeremiah would not just prophesy about destruction.
He would also prophesy about the return of Israel to their city. Listen to what the prophet Jeremiah says. He says, for this is what the Lord says. When 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm my promise concerning you to restore you to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.
Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search me with all of your heart.
Sound familiar? I will be found by you. This is the Lord's declaration, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations. I will restore you to the place from which I deported you. That's Jeremiah 29.
You thought it was just for you to put on your pillow, your home screen case. But Jeremiah is writing this as a prophecy that the people of Israel would return to their land. So here, Daniel understands the times. He is understanding what is taking place.
He is understanding the seasonal shift that is taking place. He takes the word of the Lord that is the prophecy, and he puts two and two together. And I love what the Bible says. Daniel is writing this, and he says, because I know prophecy, because I know my word, because I know the current circumstances, so I turned my attention to the Lord God. I love that the Bible is clear in saying that Daniel turns his attention to the Lord God, because how many of you know he could have turned his attention to politics, but politics are fickle.
They come and they go. He could have turned his attention to the stars, but horoscopes are a facade. He could have turned his attention to the new king and the administration, but kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there is something about the everlasting God that causes me to turn my attention to him.
I don't know about you, but when things get shaky, that is the type of rock that I want to run to. And I love this about Daniel, because he understood prophecy, but prophecy caused him to run back to the Lord. Oh, can I tell you that prophecy should always cause you to turn your attention back to the Lord? Because prophecy in itself is a black hole that you can go down, but if you never turn your attention back to the Lord, then it is useless.
It is just simply pride for you to acknowledge the fact that you know things that other people don't. My friend, prophecy should turn your affections towards the Lord. That is what prophecy does. And the Bible says, I will turn my attention to the Lord God.
I love this. He uses a title for God, Adonai Elohim. It literally means the supernatural master of all, the one true God. What a grandiose statement to make.
The grand master of them all. I turned my attention to him, and I will not slip because he always has my back. The Bible says this, says that he turned his attention to the Lord to seek him by prayer. That word seek literally means to turn your face towards. It's the idea that I will turn my face to God until he answers me. Turns his face to God. The Bible says, I turn my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. By prayer and petitions, by fasting, sackcloth and ashes.
By prayer and petitions, by fasting, sackcloth and ashes. Wait a minute, Daniel. That's an interesting way to pray. You would think that Daniel would be elated at the fact that prophecy has now turned and he is getting ready to see the promise fulfilled that his people would go back and reoccupy the land that they had left. You would think that Daniel would be excited at the fact that all of a sudden favor is now in his direction. You would think he would be joyous at the fact that, oh, my goodness, God, it has been 70 years of captivity, but now, God, you have delivered us.
You would think Daniel would be excited about the prophecy being fulfilled. But the methods of prayer that he is using are not synonymous with a joyous occasion. They are actually synonymous with someone that is deeply burdened.
Oh, my goodness, they are synonymous with someone that is mourning. And the fact that he chooses to use in this verse all of those methods, prayer, petition, fasting, sackcloth and ashes, it is indicative of how much of a burden he is carrying. To put it in layman's terms, Daniel is toed up. There is something on the inside of Daniel that is not sitting right. There is something that he can't quite put his finger on. God, I'm supposed to be happy, but I am so burdened that I will set my attention towards you and fast. That idea of fasting is not because he wants a response from God.
That idea of fasting is the idea that he has no appetite because he is so burdened. There's something going on with Daniel on the inside. Daniel, what in the world is going on? The Bible says, as a result, I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed. I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed. Daniel, what do you mean you confessed? I mean, if we were being honest in the room, if there was anyone that didn't need to confess anything, it would be Daniel. You would think Daniel is one of the most righteous people of all the land.
Daniel goes down as a hero throughout Scripture. What do you mean you need to confess, Daniel? We all know who you are. We know your standard. We know your character. We know that you pray three times a day. We know the way you conduct yourself.
We know the way you carry yourself. Daniel, we know you are a man of God. What do you mean you are so burdened that you have to confess? Daniel, what is it that you have to confess?
Or more so, Daniel, what is burdening you? I believe that the answer to this actually lies within verse four, in a subtle way, that if you weren't truly paying attention, you wouldn't catch. But listen to verse four.
The Bible says, I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed. Remember, Daniel had called God previously in verse three, the supernatural master of all. You remember, Daniel had called God in this grand entrance of a name.
He said, you are the master of all, the one true God. But all of a sudden, when Daniel goes to personal prayer, he switches his language, and he uses a name that is completely different than what he had used in verse three. Daniel goes to the Lord in prayer to seek his face, and he stops, and he says, O Lord my God, and he uses the word Yahweh. Jehovah is really what he uses, but Jehovah is a derivative from the name Yahweh.
Oh my goodness, catch this. Yahweh is the name that God gives himself to Moses in Exodus chapter six, whenever God is speaking to Moses, and he says this as he's talking to Moses. He says, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they only knew me as El Shaddai. But you, Moses, they did not know me by name, but you, Moses, because you have a relationship with me, because you have desired a covenant with me, because you have desired to spend time with me, and I have shown you favor. Moses, I will give you my name. My name is Yahweh. And the Bible says this. It says that Daniel looks to God in prayer, and he says, My Lord, my God, Yahweh. Yahweh. Daniel is showing us that he has a personal relationship with God.
He has a personal relationship with God, because he is using a name that is a name only given through relationship. And I don't know about you, but in my relationships, in my real homies of homies type relationships, not this fake one. Hey, how you doing? I'm fine. How are you? I'm talking about like relationships.
I'm a ride or die type homie. Like if you're happy, I'm happy. If you're sad, I'm sad.
If you are in the midst of pain, I'm going to be right there by your side in the midst of pain. You see, Daniel is so close with God in relationship that he feels the pain that a nation has caused God. He feels the pain that a nation has caused God. The reality was that the Jewish people had gotten caught in their sin. But can I remind you, church, that they paid a punishment, but just because you pay a punishment does not mean that you have a change of heart. Daniel is so burdened because he senses the pain that a nation causes him. He is so burdened because he recognizes the fact that the Jewish people had hurt the heart of God. So the Bible shows us that Daniel is heartbroken.
Church, can I tell you that true relationship with God feels the pain that sin does to the Father's heart. It is not just, these are the rules, let me follow them. The rules were placed there for relationship. And so you can follow the rules and still not feel the heart of a father.
The rules were never the end result. The rules were meant for you to feel my heart. Daniel is heartbroken. And so one man with close relationship with God, one man chooses to stand in the gap and offer repentance. Listen to what the Bible says, he says, I prayed to the Lord my God and I confessed, O Lord, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him. I know that this is your character, God, because I have a relationship with you. He says, we have sinned.
I love this in scripture in his prayer, Daniel chooses not to use the terms they and them, but rather Daniel chooses to use the words us and we. Because there is something powerful about a righteous man of God who stands for righteousness, truth and justice, but still has the humility to understand that all of my righteousness is as a filthy rags in comparison to the holiness of my God. You want to know a red flag for someone that claims that they're righteous?
They have an inability to spend time with people. Yeah, you can float in on cloud nine and eat man of flakes for breakfast, but can you pray for the broken? This was the number one frustration between God and the Pharisees.
Daniel places himself in the mix with the people. Listen to this. He says, we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled and turned away from your commands and ordinances. We have not listened to your servants, the prophets. In other words, we are without excuse who spoke in your name to the kings, leaders, fathers and prophets. Lord, righteousness belongs to you.
Look at the comparison he makes. But this day, public shame belongs to us. As the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are near and those who are far in all the countries where you have banished them because of the disloyalty they have shown towards you. Lord, public shame belongs to us and our kings and our leaders and our fathers because we have sinned. Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord, our God. He uses the plural in Hebrew for compassion and forgiveness. In other words, he is trying to show that continuous compassion, continuous forgiveness belongs to the Lord, our God. Though we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the Lord, our God, by following his instructions set before us through the prophets.
Daniel is repenting before God. All Israel has broken your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. The promised curse written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, has been poured out on us because we have sinned against him. That promise is Leviticus 26 or Deuteronomy 28. He has carried out his words that he has spoken against us and against our rulers. Disaster has happened that is so great that nothing has ever been done to Jerusalem like this.
And I love this. He says, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord, our God, by turning from our iniquities and paying attention to your truth. Did you catch that? He is saying we've been punished for sinning against you. And even though the punishment occurred, we have still not sought the favor of the Lord.
Daniel feels the weightiness of a nation that is unrepentant. And so he offers repentance to God. So the Lord kept this disaster in mind. And he brought it on us.
Listen to this. For the Lord, our God, is righteous in all he does. Do you see what Daniel is doing? He is actually accepting the fact that they had wronged God. Because a true confession is acknowledging what you did and that what you did was wrong. It is not sweeping it under the rug. It is not acting like it isn't there. It is not acting like you didn't do anything.
It is not acting like our broken families and never saying sorry because I don't say sorry in my family. It is acknowledging that what you did was wrong for the purpose of moving forward in your future. Daniel acknowledges the sins of his people to God. You see, I believe Daniel understands that you cannot go into a new season having left things undealt with in your past. If you're going to go into a new season, then you can leave the bags of your old season behind. That is the goodness of God. But you can never take your bags with you if you leave them unpacked all the time.
Packs them up, leaves them there so that you can move on. The Bible says this, and I love this about Daniel because Daniel understood the word. He was heartbroken. Daniel repented. And then listen to how he ends the prayer. Now that Daniel has acknowledged the sins of he and his people, he reminds God of God's character.
I love this. He says, Now, Lord, our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt. Oh, God, you remember? You were the one that brought us out.
It wasn't about us. You were the strong one. You were the strong one. God, I have acknowledged our sins. But, oh, God, remember who you are. Remember your character.
Don't let what we do more who you are. God, remember? Says Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, may your anger and your wrath turn away from your city. Jerusalem, your holy mountain, for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers. Jerusalem and all your people have become an object of ridicule to those around us. Therefore, our God, hear the prayer and petitions, catch this, of your servant.
Wait a minute. The audacity of Daniel. That Daniel could stand in the gap for a nation and offer repentance to God and ask for forgiveness. One man, one man decides to stand up and repent before the Lord says, Make your face shine on your desolate sanctuary.
That face shining is a reference to number six, the blessing that God gives. He says, Listen closely, my God. And here, open your eyes and see our desolation in the city that bears your name. God, that bears your name. But we are not presenting our petitions before you based on our righteous acts, but based on your abundant compassion.
Oh, my gosh. Daniel is saying, Oh, God, would you forgive us? Not based on our merit because we are wicked. We are rebellious. But would you forgive us based on your character? Because, God, though I am wicked, you are good.
Though our nation is not seeking you, you are good. Would you forgive us? Not because we deserve it, but because you are a forgiving God. The Bible says this, it says, Lord, hear. Lord, forgive. Lord, listen and act. My God, for your own sake, do not delay because your city and your people bear your name. Daniel asks for forgiveness.
And I love the way this ends. You see, because Daniel says this in verse 19. He says, Lord, hear. Lord, forgive. Lord, hear. Lord, forgive. That word here literally means to give ear.
It is a Hebraic word picture of a person bending the ear in order for them to hear more clearly. It is as though one person who decided to repent before God and say that he is sorry and ask for forgiveness is bending the ear of God saying, Oh, God, would you have mercy on us? Would you forgive us and save us, God?
Because we are still your people. One man, one man stood up and asked for forgiveness and repentance. And I hate to ruin it for you next week. But part of the answer that Daniel gets is that God would respond and say, Oh, Daniel, you're in a difficult season, but just like seasons come and go, there will be another season. And within that new season, I will send the Savior. One man bent the ear of God. And what I'm learning about Daniel is that he is a man that understands how to walk in righteousness, holiness and bear the fruit of a standard for God. But he also understands how to stand in the gap in prayer. And I stand here burdened before you this morning, church, because I feel like as a church, as a whole across the globe, that sometimes maybe, maybe we've gotten really good at praying for judgment and calling down fire. And listen to me and listen to me clearly.
I believe in standard. I believe in holiness. I believe in righteousness. But we have gotten really good at saying, God, burn them up. Send in the hell in a handbasket. God, forget them.
God, look at me and look at them. We have forgotten to stand in the gap with the same fervency for people to be saved because our fight is not against flesh and blood. It is against principalities of darkness. And it is not against people.
Say, Vic, where did you get that? I don't know. Maybe Abraham prayed that if there were just 10 righteous in the city, you would save it. I don't know. Maybe Moses prayed that you wouldn't desolate an entire nation. I don't know. Maybe Jesus prayed. Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do. I don't know. Maybe Paul said that it is God's will that none shall perish.
And I am concerned that we know what it means to get on Facebook and be a Facebook warrior. But you ain't stopped and prayed or fasted for your neighbor since the entire time you've been saved. I don't know, church. Maybe it's not just praying for justice to be served. Maybe it is also praying for the mercy and the forgiveness of God to be extended. Maybe it's both. And in the tension of justice on this side and messy grace on the other side, maybe in the middle we find God's mercy.
Maybe it's both. Church, may we be a church that understands how to be a righteous man and woman of God. Don't you compromise on the way you walk? Don't you compromise on the way God has called you to live? Don't you compromise as a light in your neighborhood, but at the same time as you draw lines?
Maybe it's also our job to walk beyond the line and bring some people with us standing in the gap. Maybe it's not one or the other. Maybe it's both. This morning, as I was praying for us, I believe that there are two people that maybe the Lord wants to speak with this morning. Maybe you're in the room and you just have never repented before, God. Man, you've just been carrying some things around. You've never actually quite said, God, I did this and I need forgiveness.
And so as a result, you've just been seeing seasons come and go, come and go, come and go. But you've never dealt with the issues that God is trying to get you to deal with. This morning, I want to give you an opportunity to get that right. There's another type person that I believe God wants to speak to this morning throughout all our campuses. And that is the person who maybe throughout your years, you got saved 10, 20, 30, 50, 60, 100 years ago. And somehow you have allowed self-righteousness to be the garment that you wear. Maybe the Lord is asking you this morning.
Would you check your heart on that? And learn what it means to carry righteousness in your heart. But acknowledge the fact that it's God that is righteous.
And at the same time, stand in the gap. So as the worship team comes up, I'm going to give you an opportunity for the Lord to search your own heart. Then I'm going to close in prayer.
Don't just run out and try to catch Olive Garden. Let the Lord speak to you this morning. If you can stand up, we're going to worship one more time. I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. That's why I trust Him. That's why I trust Him. I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered.
That's why I trust Him. I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered. I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered. I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered. And that's why I trusted. I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered. I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered I sought the Lord and He heard and He answered That's why I trusted, that's why I trusted God He's my Savior, the one who will never fail He will never fail I trusted God He's my Savior, the one who will never fail He will never fail Father I pray that we would be a church that seeks you like Daniel That we would be burdened by what is going on around us God And God that we would have the audacity to believe that you can still move and do miracles Lord let us stand in the gap for those that do not know you Lord I pray for everyone in the room God I pray that you would move in our hearts God help us to see the areas that we need to continue to grow And we'll be careful to give you all the glory None of it for us, all of it for you So Lord I pray for those this morning under the sound of my voice That the steps of the righteous are ordered I pray that this morning they would be deployed for the weak God Not afraid to share the gospel and the goodness of Jesus Christ Lord The ability to take what is taking going on in our current circumstance And the prophecies that the word has spoken of And turn their attention towards you so that they can bring people into the kingdom Lord let them know when there's a God moment And empower them with the power of the Holy Spirit To open up their mouths and share the gospel Lord I speak a blessing over us this morning Church the Lord bless you, keep you, cause his face to shine upon you Give you grace and peace now and forever God bless you church, let's go win this world for Christ
