Read Daniel 9:1-19

Pray

The Story of Israel

Abraham – Isaac – Jacob

Moses – Exodus – Promised Land

Judges – United Kingdom – Divided Kingdom

Manasseh – He rebuilt worship centers to false gods His father had destroyed.  He burned his son as a human sacrifice to a false god.  His reign was full of brutality and bloodshed – and he led the people to do more evil than the nations had done whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel.

I know what you are thinking – it is hard to relate to

Story from Jeremiah 42FF

Jeremiah 42:1-16     Vote

Jeremiah 43:1-4

Sin says – I know what’s best for me  –  I will provide for my own needs – I cannot trust God’s provision – I will not trust God’s promises – I will trust what I know and can see and control –

This is represented in our sins – In our addictions we trust our own provision for our needs rather than God’s.  In our fear we doubt God.  In our lusts for entertainment and sex and money and power and esteem we doubt that God is enough to satisfy

At its root, Sin is not the surface actions of idol worship and pornography addiction – at its core the heart of sin is the same for every sinful action.  Namely It is the rejection of the person and provision of God.  Sin is the exaltation of self – and reliance on self (Pride) and the rejection of God himself because it does not believe that God is enough to satisfy our longings (Unbelief)

Pride and Unbelief – two sides of the same coin

Daniel is reflecting on the long history of his people and their unbelief that has led to this place.  And as he prays from his heart he expresses at least 3 truths – three realities – about himself and God. 

Now the people in the bible were not perfect people by any stretch but scripture says these things were written for our learning.  And I think we have some valuable awakening insights from Daniel’s prayer.

  1. He admits guilt
    1. Admit – Dan 9:5 – 7a (Though Open Shame)
      1. Pain of Hiding sin – Psalm 32:1-5 – My Story
        1. Quote: “Confession is like a boil finally bursting – painful and relieving.

Receiving forgiveness is like a first breath of fresh sea air for one who has always lived at a garbage dump.”

 

  1. Life of confession
    1. I John 1:8-9 – If we say we have no sin…
    2. James 5:16 – Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
  1. We, Our, Us – 34+ Times – VS 20 “My Sin”
    1. Ezekiel 14:14 – Noah, Job and Daniel Righteous guys
    2. No recorded sin
  • BUT he includes himself
    1. He recognizes himself in light of the righteousness of God
    2. He identifies with God’s people
      1. I Cor 12:26 – If one member suffers, all suffer together
  1. APP: In the battle against sin we need to
    1. Admit our own sin
    2. Fight for our brothers and sisters
  • Life at GHC – Excited – Culture of Confession – Turn faces to God – Mentor – Friend Protege
  1. He agrees that God’s actions against the nation are righteous – Dan 9:12, 14
    1. We live in a time when the culture and even the church at times does not appreciate nor believe in the idea of a God who causes calamity – CS Lewis Megaphone

 

  1. Not every calamity is judgement for sin (Job) but every calamity is superintended by God to accomplish what he desires – and for those who are his children every circumstance that you experience will be made to serve God’s good purposes for you and we are called to rejoice in our trials trusting that God is at work in them. Romans 8:28 and James 1

 

  1. Sometimes, as in this case, the calamity is due to sin.

 

  1. I believe if we lose the Holy, Awesome and fearsome righteousness of God – and take away the justice of his judgements we not only do damage to his holiness we destroy the meaning of Grace

 

  1. Daniel here agrees that the calamity is from the Lord and that the Lord is righteous to have brought it.

 

  1. The purpose of the Lord when he brings correction for sin – Amos 4:6-13

 

  1. We do well in the midst of calamity to turn our faces to Lord and say “Lord – what are you saying to me in this? – Lord – what are you teaching me? Lord – try me and see if there is any grievous way in my and lead me in the way everlasting.

 

  1. Daniel appeals to the mercy of God in light of his unrighteousness– Dan 9:17-18
    1. ILL: Proverbial hand in the cookie jar – Lord Paddles – Exiles – Try to put cookie back together

 

  1. We are NOT at any time from cradle to grave, from unbelieving to justified to glorified – at no time are we saved by works.

 

  1. We in the church get it at conversion —– BUT once believers we often revert back to works. 
    1. ILL: The enemy lands a haymaker and some sin you thought you were over levels you – How do you react?  I’ll fix it – Rocky  YOU CAN’T DO IT
    2. Paul Addresses this in Galatians 3:1-5

QUOTE:  Jerry Bridges Transforming Grace: So what kind of bankruptcy did we declare? To use the business analogy, did we file under chapter 7 or chapter 11? Was it permanent or temporary? I suspect most of us would say we declared permanent bankruptcy. Having trusted in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation, we realized we could not add any measure of good works to what He has already done. We believe He completely paid our debt of sin and secured for us the gift of eternal life. There is nothing more we can do to earn our salvation, so using the business analogy, we would say we filed permanent bankruptcy.

However, I think most of us actually declared temporary bankruptcy. Having trusted in Christ alone for our salvation, we have subtly and unconsciously reverted to a works relationship with God in our Christian lives. We recognize that even our best efforts cannot get us to heaven, but we do think they earn God’s blessings in our daily lives.

After we become Christians we begin to put away our more obvious sins. We also start attending church, put money in the offering plate, and maybe join a small group Bible study. We see some positive change in our lifestyle, and we begin to feel pretty good about ourselves. We are now ready to emerge from bankruptcy and pay our own way in the Christian life.

Then the day comes when we fall on our face spiritually. We lapse back into an old sin, or we fail to do what we should have done. Because we think we are now on our own, paying our own way, we assume we have forfeited all blessings from God for some undetermined period of time. Our expectation of God’s blessing depends on how well we feel we are living the Christian life. We declared temporary bankruptcy to get into His kingdom, so now we think we can and must pay our own way with God. We were saved by grace, but we are living by performance.

  1. Daniel, of all people, could have said I come to you because I’ve got it together, but he doesn’t and he gets it right when he says “We don’t present our pleas to you because of our righteousness.” And then he adds “But because of your great mercy” Dan 9:18b

 

  1. Conclusion – 3 potential responses

 

  1. MERCY!! Daniel is in exile his homeland destroyed – Some of you are tempted to say with those who fled to Egypt – What Mercy?  God has allowed….  How can you say God is merciful? 
    1. Hasn’t the Lord be longsuffering towards you? Has not the Lord treated you better than you deserve?  Has not the Lord patiently pursued you and warned you and wooed you?  Why not surrender to His mercy right now?  Why not lay down your arms – acknowledge your guilt and run to his grace?

 

  1. Mercy… I’ve gone too far – I’ve failed too many times – I don’t deserve his mercy. I acknowledge my guilt but until I get it together I can’t look him in the face.
    1. Billy Graham and Tullian Picture
    2. True Repentance springs out of trusting His promises
      1. God loves to restore – Jeremiah 29:10-14 –
      2. Psalm 30:5 “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping my tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.   In His chastening he is treating us like beloved sons
      3. Psalm 103:10-12 “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
      4. HOW does he do this? By placing your sin – its curse – its condemnation – its judgement – its darkness – its defeat and despair through the hands and feet of the Lamb on the Cross – Jesus Christ.  “All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
      5. Are you looking for hope? Are you looking to be restored?  Do you long for more transformation into the image of Jesus?  There is but one way and it is by faith in the grace, mercy and kindness of our Savior that he demonstrated so magnificently at the cross and that he shows you in his day by day mercy towards you.  Lift up your face to Him and in humility freely acknowledge your sin and in faith embrace HIM as life.  Humility and Faith two sides of the same coin.  Faith in His Grace is the only solution to sin.

 

  1. Last response – Billy Graham ended almost every sermon he preached with these words “Just as I am – without one Plea!! But that thy blood was shed for me and that you bid me come to thee – Oh Lamb of God I come.