Daniel 9: Lessons on Prayer from a Man of God

Hey, good morning. Church me again, Chris. Today's a real Humdinger of a sermon I'm going to warn you if you've ever been to secret church. It's probably going to sound a lot like that because we're using this book we talked about it before summertime study Christ centered Exposition and Daniel and two chapters in the entire book 2 chapters in The Book of Daniel get split into two chapters in this and both of them are Germans that I'm preaching and this is the first one of those and it's no joke because there is a lot going on in chapter 9 of Daniel. So if you got the notes in your in class, you'll probably notice that there's it's double pack. If not, there's some of the back table and now is a good time to go get him. If you did make a small grouping you want some to take notes on it's fine. It's jam-packed. There's an outline questions double the amount of call because this is actually two chapters in the book so not to belabor this too much, but I'm going to talk a lot about the Daniel's prayer, which is the first chunk here and then the last part of this for the last 4 verses as soon as 70 weeks and it's like Full Tilt prophecy and I'm not going to spend a great deal of time on that. But the book does Sophie get the outline is a lot of discussion what's going on there in the different theories of what that means when people hold we don't have time to get into all that but it certainly want to talk about it. So with that said, let's go ahead and read Daniel very quickly.

And then we'll get into it after we pray happy read this in the first year of paint or is the son of asked by the scent of mead who was made King over the realm of the Chaldeans in the first year of his Reign by Daniel perceive in the book The number of years that according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem namely 70 years. Then I turn my face to the Lord God seeking him by prayer and pleas for Mercy with fasting and sackcloth and Ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God it made confession sang. Oh Lord the great an awesome God who keeps Covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his Commandments. We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled turning aside from your command and some rules. We have not listened to your servants the prophets who spoke in your name to our kings are princess and our fathers and to all the people of the land. Do you? Oh Lord belongs righteousness but to US Open as of this day to the men of Judah. Evidence of Jerusalem to all Israel those who are near and those who are far away and all the lands do what you have driven them because of the treachery that they have committed against you threw us. Oh Lord open shame King store princess into our fathers because we have sinned against you for the Lord Our God by long mercy and forgiveness for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord Our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your lawn turned aside refusing to obey your voice and the curse and the oath that are written in the law of Moses. The servant of God has been poured out upon us because we have sinned against him. He has confirmed his worth when she spoke against the sin against our rulers who ruled us by bringing upon us a great Calamity under the whole Heaven there has not been done anything like what has been done against Jerusalem as it is written in the law of Moses All This calamity has come upon us yet. We have not been treated the favor of the Lord Our God turning from our iniquities and gaining Inside by your truth. Therefore the Lord has kept ready to Calamity as brought it upon us for the Lord. Our God is righteous in all the work that he has done and we have not obeyed his voice and now oh Lord Our God who brought your people out of the land of Egypt for the mighty hand and it made a name for yourself as at this day. We have sent we have done wickedly. Oh Lord, according to all your righteous acts let your anger in your wrath turn away from your City Jerusalem your Holy Hill because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers Jerusalem, and your people have become a byword among all who are around us. now therefore our God Listen to the prayer of your servant into his pleas for mercy and for your own sake oh Lord, make your face to shine upon your Sanctuary, which is desolate. Oh my God, incline your ear and hear open your eyes and see our desolation in the city that is called by your name, but we do not present our please before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great Mercy O Lord hear O Lord forgive o'lord pay attention. Delay not for your own sake. Oh my God, because your city and your people are called by your name while I was speaking and praying confessing my sin and the sentence of my people is real on presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the Holy Hill of my God while I was speaking in prayer the man gave you I had seen in the vision at the first came to me and swiss flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand speaking with me and saying oh Daniel I have now come out to give you insight and understanding at the beginning of your pleas for mercy of word went out and I've come to tell it to you for you are greatly loved therefore consider the word and understand the vision. How many weeks would it create about your people in your Holy City to finish the transgression to put an end to send it to atone for iniquity bring an everlasting Everlasting righteousness the seal both vision and profit and the most holy Place know therefore and understand their from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of the anointed one a prince. There should be seven weeks then 462 weeks. I shall be built again with squares and moat but in a troubled time and after the 62 weeks and anointed one shall be cut off. I have nothing in the prince of the the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. It's in shock, the flood until the end of Shelby War desolation Zarda Creed. How do you spell make a strong Covenant with many for one week and for half of that week you should put an end to sacrifice and offering on the wing of abomination shall come one who makes desolate until the decreed and is poured out on the desolator.

Heavenly Father a this is a very significant chapter great example of prayer Daniel sets just a pristine example of how we should pray in our attitude and prayer Lord as we begin to unpack that Lord. I pray that you'll open up our hearts and put us in a mindset to be able to be responsive to you. And your Holy Spirit right now lower please move in. This place has recovered the 70 weeks or the Navy people leave their confuse or felt like we should have gone into a more Lord. I pray now that you'll draw them into the word. I draw them in the study of something that is very complicated like Bible prophecy Lord. We all owe it to ourselves to study that on our own and to seek wisdom in that regard that with your Holy Spirit much more so than seeking wisdom in this building today Lord. Thank you for this time together and please have a blessed mightily. It's in your son's name. I pray amen.

All right. So work work work if there's anything that's been a good theme here, it's Daniel's a very busy individual who takes the work of the Lord very seriously and I say this because Daniel ate if you remember what my talked about he had a vision that really shook him up. He was pretty upset by it right as color change and all that sort of thing because it was it was shocking and Daniel line. We see the very beginning. He's back in the word studying pacifically Jeremiah is where this this comes from right in Jeremiah 25-11 or 12. Is he studying of this and spending his time? There's the prophecy that they desolation. They're they're captured by Babylon is going to last 70 years and Daniel reads this and kind of does the math and suddenly realizes wait a minute. It's been seventy years. I think this was supposed to end and I don't know that we're in any condition for this to end. Right? So if we start off here with Daniel's prayer, this was the stuff these titles are right out of the outline. So let your prayers flow from your study of the scriptures. In this case, we see this happening for beta literally Daniel studying the scriptures. He read something in the scripture that troubles him and he immediately goes to the Lord in prayer. Effortful here. We love to pray that we often overlooked God. I'm sure you're taking lots of chili and I will be praying to write the reason I mention this is because the way that we pray the manner in which we pray. We all probably are praying to God. I'm a Praying I will be praying to God for what things are. We praying to God and what you what kind of man are we approaching our prayer life of god of what we see here is Daniel encouraged by the word and its study the rest as well. I'm going to approach got in the way. I got to be approached the more we study the word the better we pray. Right, we we we like the side versus I thought you don't have because you don't ask we forget versus like you're asking for things with the wrong Spirit things that aren't entitled to you has nothing to do with the work of the Lord. That's what you're asking for. You probably not going to get that necessarily the things that you're praying for him and we read Daniel's prayer. It's pretty significant. What is asking for it when I talk about better prayer specifically not talking about eloquence a great oratory skills to speak loudly be understood and have a you know, a rich vocabulary is largely irrelevant with regards to your prayer life. It just is there people that have no capacity to speak. Can pray right. Now, you may not handle microphone and say lead us in prayer because they're not equipped to do that in this world. But prayer to God has nothing to do with that if it pleases God if I'm constantly and prayer to Smite enemies.

Right and we don't see this kind of prayer here. Daniel is not just like all these guys are driving us nuts. Just make the Babylonians disappear. That's not what he's praying for. He is he is focused on a prayer that that pleases God.

This is David. What on Earth? That's hilarious. That should say Daniel. A proof read this 15 times unbelievable Daniels for a David Daniels the way this happens. He perceives in the book perceives in the book. It doesn't like mysticism he reads what's going to happen and his understanding is El 70 years. This is the truth. Right eye. I see here that David AKA Daniel the David of this book as it were at the real stretch. He has no doubt that this is the truth right do notice that it's not one from doubt in my bank won't do I ever pray from Downton. I think I probably don't do that. But I do a lot. I doubt that. God will do what he says he's going to do and I pray for things Lord. I pray that you forgive me of this thing that you promise me. You'll forgive me for what do I do that? I don't know. I don't know why I do that.

Not turning to prayer because like oh no. Tell me a forgotten that it's been seventy years and I better pray that he raps this up very quickly or what not. His prayer is not one from doubt just prayer flows from a contrite or a humbly sorrowful heart. That's kind of my summary of the word contrite, right? He knows where he ranks in relationship to God. And he is now connecting the dots based on what God Said in a God is true. And right doesn't change does not lie and does exactly what he says he will do that. He is going to he's planning to remove them from Exile 70 years is up. Biggest concern isn't The Godfather through that Daniel's concern is that these people are not ready for this the point of Exile per your word was so that we could get right we could get rid of the garbage in focus on God again, right? Stop being disciplined, correct our actions live rightly and and Daniel's tour up because they are not this prayer doesn't rely cold God. Thank you for the Deliverance. We've earned it. We work so hard these last seven years old or really looking forward to getting out of Exile this prayer reads. Like he just found out that his loved ones have died. He is ashamed of the state of Israel. We do good to probably approach our prayer life again not doubting. He is not doubting that God isn't is going to do what he said he's going to do no doubt not a bit. That's Integrity but no doubt that the Israelites are still hot garbage. They are a mess. They're doing poor work. They are prioritizing God properly. There's infighting there's all kinds of stuff but Daniels constantly trying to help people understand that I don't care right there in the midst of discipline still committing sin. Now as a as a parent or maybe as of now, you see somebody that's like, well you went to prison for selling drugs and now you're selling drugs in prison and we say things like don't you to learn and God says no, you don't nobody learns. I've never been to prison for selling drugs and then sell drugs in prison, but there's plenty of times that I've been in a rough time of my life probably under the discipline of the Lord and doing the same stupid stuff I did before because I don't get it just like the Ezra. I don't get it. Daniel is praying to God for Mercy for a messy people. He is. Very contrite. He is very sad. He understands that he has no right to come to the Lord asked for anything they burn nothing but yet here he is. And if you read this prayer from that perspective some of the songs that we chose about, you know, giving us clean hard to clean head. That's what Daniel praying for we want to be good. We want to watch pulling ourselves out of Exile, but we haven't done and lower it breaks my heart because here we are and you will be the right to destroy us at the end of this Exile that ends the Exile right death or exile for dead, but Lord, please please Next Tekken. He was let your prayers humbly take you into the presence of God. I think it's critical that we know that he's not telling God anything new write his prayer life here the way he's approaching. This isn't one like what you may not have caught this guy but we really stepped up our Sacrifice game. None of that. God knows what's going on. Daniel is well aware that God knows what's going on. He is not making a Case for Israel, right? He specifically calls out the fact that Israel's good-for-nothing. He is not trying to argue or for or against them. Like what let's do pros and cons God that's not what Daniels up to hear. He is not a lawyer. He's not trying to to win an argument in front of a jury. He is humbly begging God for mercy. Is it this is important when we come to God In Prayer much like Daniel relying on God's mercy is really all we've got we should remind ourselves of that. Every time we going to Enterprise with lyrics for Lord. I don't deserve it deserve you listening to me for some reason because you're good and you're God and that's amazing. But but do know the why I'm asking for I don't deserve it. Now in this case. You don't see him starting off with a bunch of I'm no good. I'm garbage none of that. Right but his approach indicates that right. We'll talk about that here in a little bit to

Daniel is treating this entire prayer very seriously. Now, maybe you think like my profile. I don't disagree it is there's plenty of times when I'm praying like before a meal and if I don't approach it by saying okay before we eat the food here everybody put on your sackcloth and Ashes, right? We're going to bless the meal. I've never been part of that house has a pretty meal prayer with all this ordinance was but it will Nation be crazy. We tend to say hey Lord bless the food. Thank you, right. He is not wait when we see this here is taking this very very seriously when we say that your prayers humbly take you into the presence of God. He's not taking it seriously because of his penitence right? It's not because Daniel such a good guy that this is as good and it's not because of his ribs Good Deeds that I can get in here good Lord. Listen to me because I spend a lot of time studying or listen to me because Israel despite some bad things that happen 68 + years ago and there's some good things to he's once again relying only because God is good and mighty and deserving if God does nothing but here's Daniel's prayer. Daniel is satisfied that we don't see that sit here, but I think that's true. I have no reason to think. Otherwise Daniel's prayer to God was because he was called to pray to God instructed to do so in the word. He's deciding I am going to intervene. I'm going to pray for Israel and if God chooses to act wonderful, but if not, I've done my part Lift us up to God In Prayer in a right prayer with a right attitude putting in the perspective the things that are important to God giving God giving God the credit

He doesn't just bow his head and start apologizing we talked about humbly. Tumble Pratt, right? Daniel says, he turn my face to the Lord God maybe today. We don't use that kind of face. Aldi's much wrap it in the Old Testament Jewish World. The notion of facing. A tall is a big deal. Right and he was treated with great reverence by people that maybe didn't anyway, we don't have that. We don't have that contract here today. We don't have like a holy of holies in an area where we know God is present and nobody can go in there except for one person and if they died going to drag, however, we don't deal with that today, but forgot to say this is like, okay, he he knows what he's about to do. He's about to approach the most holy high God and ask for something. And he's not about to do that like 8 God hates me. I got I got 15 minutes. So let me just get us out of here. Thanks. You no talk later BRB or whatever none of that. He wants to be certain that he's in a room you enter in God's presence properly. So here we see his prayers and pleas for Mercy with fasting and sackcloth and Ashes. He stopped eating right he he's devoting everything. He has to this time of God sackcloth been uncomfortable. It would have looked terrible. I would have put him in letting him know where I rank. I'm not trying to come into Ghana and Bjorn 8. I'm not full and and well-rested. I'm I'm I'm on edge. I've got a saint myself. I'm looking as as low as I can because I want to represent to God Almighty that I know where I rank compared to him compared to him. This isn't about proving himself among the Israelites or woe is me and look how look how pathetic I am everybody. This is him and God and that's it. A lot of times. We do a good job of trying to be falsely humble. Right humblebragging is a term that you use when you say things like this is only the first time I've ever gone three hundred miles an hour.

Well, I'm not saying that this is the first time so I'm kind of right Daniels isn't trying to compete with God or put on an act for God. He understands getting into the front end of the face God and ask him for anything is extraordinary. It's crazy. I'm going to do this but he's told me to and I will but you can bet that I'm going to be at my right mind. Alright Spirit when I approach this. Next track here. Let your prayers be categorized by honest and full confession of sin.

I'm so I put I'm sure you're not in your head because I did however this I was like, oh, yes, amen honest and full of confession of sin is properly and full.

Not that I not just that I got angry. It said I harbored jealousy or resentment. I don't know if I like it like that one. That's one for me. I ain't really perturbed with somebody and then I will say Lord forgive me for my anger. and then after doing a pram like

Right immediately still there. I haven't brought that to God yet. I'll deal with that. I'll take care of that myself, right? That's not honest. That's a dishonest right Lord. I was angry just that bit and I'm okay now now I'm still a little angry. I'm still struggling with this, right? That's not a sprayer. I don't know what to do here. That's not a sprayer not I've got to take it out. That's what this a personal struggle for Me. Maybe the full site of this not just the big explosion that guy that cut me off easy one. To come to God and ask for the Lord. I'm struggling with that when people cut me off the road and but all the subtle disrespects. I show my spouse that one maybe don't even lift up really eye-opening book to get time. I don't think Daniel to struggle with that book as much as perhaps. I did I think Daniels perspective here is right that yes, everything that I do that is not of God everything that I do every little bit of jealousy every bit of stealing this or taking that or inciting a fight over here or or just treating somebody like they're nothing when I should have just given over to all right, we we talked about the big stuff we talked about the the big life-altering impact other people that one we were having your sin categorized by honest and full confession of sent. This doesn't mean we're going to categorize it by Oh, well, you spoke living ever prayed and had somebody say that was a wonderful prayer. If I ever had that happen, it's happen to me a few times. I don't mind it when people say that but I always think What was it? That was wonderful? Was a wonderful because you felt like I was really confessing a praying mantis eating on the church's behalf. Well that I properly put on a position or was it because I I I said things that deplete your heartstrings add an emotional response to words that I spoke our situations. Maybe I mentioned you know mother is the one where there's a Mother's Day. That's a real thing too. But has nothing to do with a prayer being good. Right and I when we talked about our prayers being categorized as a full confession to send that sound that comes up in church right after few people in this setting standing up here are going to get into honest and full confession sent likely because several folks will probably get up and say why can't believe that particular I will have that. I mean it that's terrible why he's confined to it's a nightmare but here with Daniel's this is exactly what we see this time here. This is a prayer for the whole world. Is a prayer from him to God and God knows everything when you pray in front of people and you're leading a group. Of course, you probably don't wanna get into all the dirty details because it would be a distraction or perhaps of the corporate prayer, but this isn't corporate prayer. This is a focus prayer this prayer is easily categorized by honest and full confession to send as we read through that I granted. It was pretty quickly that I went through. He's not pulling any punches. He's not sugarcoating this are trying to gloss over some things for Israel sake he is laying it out. We don't deserve any of this, right? The biggest the biggest reason for this is working its toll. From the Elevate God I Proclaim him on high or try to fit in this position with an unrepentant heart. It's, like washing clothes in dirty water. You can clean them up a little bit but only so much it's never going to be clean. It's never a proper prayer if there's still that just lingering around in the water while you try to lift this stuff up, right we need to approach guy with a proper perspective of who we are and who God is and in this case what we see is I think Daniel does an exceptional job event.

Resume ever heard of Acts for praying excited in the book right adoration confession Thanksgiving and supplication. That's used a lot. I've heard it a thousand times great method for prayer. I was trying to pray to God that Cadence has good adore. God confess your sins give thanks for the things that you perceive. God has done in your life course. We'll never get through all those that's okay and then supplication. That's when you ask for what you want. We like to split that around a little bit do supplication and then Thanksgiving been out of rotation and confession at this time and I bet you write like no that's not what we see here. None of that's nonsense. It's right to business right even hear what we see is Daniel started with a duration of. I say that because there's a little bit of commentary right that I turn my face to the Lord. See him with fasting sackcloth and Ashes. I pray to Lord. I'm a confession sang. Oh Lord the great an awesome guy who keeps coming and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his Commandments. the right away Oh Lord. God most high awesome. Incredible. You're the best and I am not. Daniel does cell though by starting with a penitent heart or contrite heart right out of the sack cloth in the fasting in the ashes before he even uttered a word of adoration. He positioned himself rightly underneath God subordinate to God. This isn't this isn't like a buddy situation here where he's you know, just happened to bump into got on the road and says he while you're here. I got some something that if we could just do some of that Exile he understand what's a sand what's going on. So that's why I said maybe packs would be better for you to hit the floor at the brick at you. Right? Like I don't know the stress here is that to start with Adoration of God without understanding what you're doing when you pray. makes an operation a little less impactful that the best of them I gave this think of is is this one's ever said hey, how's it going? I probably said this today so you can get me on this for sure before they even answer your life away like good to see you. How's things? What things are good to see you too, right? Because I don't really want to know right I'm not really interested in conversation. I would have start stuck around right but it's a good thing we do. It's just we we say hey, hope things are good or how's things going? Well, let me tell you like, oh we're going to get into this. I had no idea. I just was saying that to be nice in this case right before not careful and so forth. Cetera, and now what was confession of Lourdes in I'm lousy and thanks for all the good things and boom boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Let me just blow through that why they're going to take it seriously. We don't really think adoration confession of Thanksgiving or getting us anywhere, but we somehow believe that supplication is going to land it listened to what I want. He knows how good he is and he knows what I've done and he knows what I'm thankful for but he doesn't know what I want that is insanity. Right? David's not telling got anything to go back a few sizes. There's nothing here. Doesn't know he's aware of all this if he's aware of the seven years, he's aware of all of this. This isn't new. This is David being faithful. So we approach prayer. I'm not saying it will hold on. It's time to pray. Let's grab the sack cloth. I'm asking David Daniel Daniel. Appreciate this is ridiculous. Daniel David did as well. But that's later on. We'll talk about this later. We we have to really be certain of when we get into this place. I'm not talking about always putting on sackcloth and fasting and I should those are those are symbols of of David Daniels in her situation that he knows where he Daniel says regarding God, right? He is making it very evident to God. We don't see hear that he's like, well everybody I'm getting ready to I'm done. I'll pray to God everybody. I've Got My Socks loss on and I know where I Daniel not David Daniel well below the Lord God Almighty. It's not about that. This isn't a show has nothing to do with elevated himself at all. That is a huge trap for us when we come into town as a pair like this and we want to intervene for people and I want to pay for a church or city or a state. We want to do so a lot of times I sang. Listen, I'll I'll pray for us. I'll pray for us because I go to a local church. I've been saved for some time now. I'm qualified to pray. That is a really dangerous precipice to be on. Any minute now you can sit right down that Cliff because what you're doing is saying well because I'm clean enough. God will listen to me. Daniel's approach here is not that as the prophet I'll do the praying here know he is reading and he says oh my gosh, this is a train wreck. Getting ready to deliver us according to his word. And that's true and I've got to get on my hands and knees and I've got to beg for mercy cuz he's liable to deliver us right into the ground and you be right to do it and those folks out there their breaks my heart where we are and I want this to be fixed, but we got to get down the middle of this to fix it up. So he is penitent first. But your prayers move to petition and please grounded in God's character that last part they're grounded God's character. Very important. Right? We'll talk about what you're asking for. If you ask for things that aren't characteristic of God probably won't get them, but you may not want to write Twilight Zone Twilight Zone. They're notoriously this kind of idea like somebody praise Lord. I want you to strike my worst enemy did and then got kills then because you're Your Own Worst Enemy out west right? That's the sort of thing that we have to be careful about right? When we think we know that's not relying on understanding Daniel certainly isn't he's not like here. Here's what I figured out God none of this right. These are the facts you said here. This is what we did we failed. So Lord, please have mercy on us and eventually have mercy on David Haswell Daniel such a great model because it's prayer is not hopeless begging he is not like, you know, oh, oh God, if you can please get around to it. That's not his approach here at all. He's in begging for anything and certainly without hope right he wants God to do what God is going to do to better God's name. If it doesn't better God's name then heck with it. Let us know what is rot. He's not praying for a new toaster good grades or his team to win not saying there's anything wrong with praying for a new toaster if you really like toast and you know, pray for a toaster, that's fine with it up, but I understand that in the posters in your prayer. I hope it's because you've covered all the other more massive bases in the hours of prayer that light up two toasters, right? There's a lot to pray for and I'm not saying it Daniel didn't pray for that kind of stuff. I'm sure he did. But in this case, he's not right in this case. He's praying for Massive intervention to preserve a people and that's where we should be when things come at us with our diverse like my toaster broke and I need it. We might have heard about Lord, you know, if you see fit to fix a toaster great. If not, I'll just not have toast to write good grades. That could be helpful to get in the college right now, but that's not going to be in the world. If I could I could improve upon that years pass if that's what team to win. That's the frustrating me if both sides are praying for their team to win without what right like. Oh no, which team is is ordained by God like like that debate doesn't end. Well, right. So we have any more we spend a lot of time talking about that that we don't muddy the waters and think will answer my prayers. He's not hearing my prayers. But if you're reading a lot like Daniel got to do with it, right? Real simple to be perfectly blunt. Daniel's play is based on 400 standing that God would be right to destroy Israel. Now, that's that's a tough pill to swallow and it's this kind of difficult to talk about right but if God eliminated this church today both of lightning or whatever we all died. He's right to do it.

I think about that while we're doing good things work. We're trying to fulfill the Great Commission great commandment. Look at all the things that that's great. That's great wages of sin are death. That's great to it's great because it's God's law now. That's not something we want to talk about what we dwell on it because we have everlasting life. But on this Earth, we shouldn't even expect it to Daniel's prayer here is not like a we just really want to live more than anything. Daniel's prayer is if it's best for you to erase is real then do it. Please do it Lord take and put us right in the Earth. However in this area ICS is having an impact Lord, that could be pretty awesome. So if you will show us mercy and guide us then Lord with your help. We will do great things for your namesake not our that's a different kind of prayer much different than spare us. This this is we want to work harder for you. Please let us but if not so big your God. We're not whatever. Transportation is that God's mercy can hold his people out of his wrath for a bit longer right now raft and discipline extra clothes cousins are not the same, right? We will never drink from the full cup of God's Wrath of your say that never has to occur. Let's praise the Lord dude saving Daniels not Taking Chances here, right? He knows where they rank of what we deserve God's Wrath. If you'll just keep us ahead of the RAF that we deserve for a little bit longer to see if we can with your help redeem this time. That's a much different prayer then hey, we're good. Christian men are good Christian women. We're working real hard Lord. Just keep us afloat. That's not his prayer. Right? He needs God all the way. In verse 18 He says this verbatim if people ever talk about well, even then it was about works. Yeah, they did a lot of works.

Oh God. Oh my God, incline your ear and hear open your eyes and see her desolations in the city of Kabul your name. If we do not present our please before you because of our righteousness that because of your great Mercy. If you don't have anybody that followed the works Daniel was all about that. We approach prayer with sackcloth and Ashes, but this is nothing I deserve nothing still deserve nothing only but because of your great Mercy, that's what we're going to rely on in prayer. If you're praying for something and you like that, I don't know that this is really God's mercy required for this prayer good time to take stock of that prayer. I'm not going to sit here and tell you the kind of things to pray for the snow list for that praying all things to God, but we talked about those first few signs about knowing studying the word letting the study of the word bring us in the prayer things like toasters and teams and grades and and even yourself in some regards start to take a backseat to these issues that we see in God's word that transcend all of those right? It's not that the lack of of a of a comfort isn't going to be prom press perhaps we could say I'm kind of glad that they're gone as it turns out that you really like and it disappears in like it wasn't that good.

All right. Here's the passionate prayers of his beloved children. So Daniel as he closes his prayer Daniels not worried about God hearing some people are like, well, you know God sent this messenger because Daniel needed needed to know right Daniels confident that got her despair the prep work. He knows how this works is saying this to God and and and delay not for your own sake. Oh my God, because your city and your people are called by your name. It doesn't in with if you're up there if there's a God in heaven, please hear this that's not what he's talking about. He's confident. He hurting isn't worried about that. That's it. Is anybody ever wish God would send a messenger to confirm the receipt of your prayer and I have something I'd love for somebody to come down and say hey. It noted receipt coming real. It's like the auto replies you see when you received your request and will get back to you in 24 hours.

Which got to tell you that you're greatly loved. I mean you talk about that's great here. We see you immediately at the beginning of your pleas for mercy of War by now that's kind of tell it to you for you are greatly loved by God. So nice guy who's my spirit in the Bible tells us both of these write. This was a gift. This was Grace for Daniel that this happened. I don't think it was like all we heard it. All good on greatly left on wonderful nice affirmations. It's like telling somebody that you love them anybody say hey, by the way, I love you. I'm never going to say it again cuz you know, I mean you probably a little upset by that like I love you. I love you too already told you that we were married in 2012, right? Oh, wonderful. That's good to hear. It it it probably Reno cost us a spirit to Riesel, but he felt like olives so that that wonderful feeling of knowing that that God is on your side.

So God hears a passion Praise of his beloved children, just like Daniel we can pray confidently and rightly know when God hears our prayers and like I said if we pray wrong with them, but you may not like the answer comes back, right? So what so what Sapp road trip airline seriously just like Daniel we should pray depending on the character of God not the character of us or our desires or any of those things prey on the character of God know what just like we should be allowed to study study. It's in here. There's no other there is no other thing you need but the word I just like Danny we should be appreciative of the Holy Spirit guiding our study of the work now in this case. He actually had, you know, a messenger come down and guide him through interpretive Vision, right and I've never had that happen to me if anyone else here has that's incredible way to go. That's wonderful. But we don't need that right we do have the word and everything that we need is in the word. The our guide now is the holy spirit. I do have that he does guide my study of the work. He does help me interpret much like these Messengers did that is real that does absolutely happen. And so that's something else we need to be appreciative not. Oh, well I didn't get a messenger right now. Don't forget that.

All right. Has a prophetic plan to bring about our Salvation. It's quarter till the 70 weeks and we talked about this. There's a whole back side of your thing is going to get crazy work at Full Tilt prophecy and it's complicated to say only this is my two cents about this but don't take my word for it. So I have some pictures here. This is the ESV Study Bible. I know if you could see it very well. Just give me an idea. This is the first 24 verses of Daniel at the top is the word of God and then there's a little line in the trunk at the bottom is to study notes, right? That's the prayer part. We just talked about all that. And if the number to things like here's all the scripture references and he's referencing a whole bunch of Promises Kept track why Daniels playing the manner in which he is right? That's actually two of those three the third, not the bottom starts the next track.

This is the 70 weeks. That's God's word of the top and all the study notes at the bottom. Because it's nuts, right so these prophecies and the reason I want to show this is because it when I say it's complicated it is I am ill-equipped. I think no man is ill-equipped. It's the holy spirit's job. To interpret Visions effectively for God's people. Don't literally don't take my word for it. What will talk about what my talk about last week and we'll all talk about for the remainder of this complicated book is what theologians have deduced based on their study of what seems to be the most likely explanation for this one. There are four main schools of thought. Those four were going to cover the most sensible in my opinion and maybe others the others are covered in great detail in this book and endless resources on the studies of Daniel. Prophecy is for them by them. I mean the people of Daniel's time and for us and for the future is important note that because when we do this inevitably some people start to have friction. I think that's Antiochus epiphanes not the Antichrist and answer is yes. It's neither and both I don't know right what we do know is it seems to align very well with men throughout history that have been horrific things that seem to be staunchly opposed to the work of Christ Antichrist. There's a few of them that we had up to now and they'll be more eventually one sort of The ante of antichrist the belt monster Antichrist that we see in Revelation. The one that the final Antichrist were all in there will probably be a likely a few between here and there and all the stuff holds for all those we do well to seek understanding of Prophecy. So I'm not trying to say yellow Pierce Daniel 24, not today on the 10 don't do that read it and if you're confused by study and ask questions, right we have small groups is very reason, but we'd do better to seek Jesus the danger and profits to that and I'll tell you this unequivocally is you get lost in trying to decode the future that God specifically said you not going to know stop trying to figure that detail out. Stop looking for Endless signs because he'll always be there always and you'll get you get mired down in trying to predict when the next thing is going to happen if how many steps are left before the second coming and it would do the Enterprise have an injury Very interesting by all means study at seek understanding but always seek Jesus first important. We note that. I love this quote and what follows I reserve the right to change my mind later this evening and as often as necessary for the rest of my life until I finally settle the matter what I'm about to unfold for you will annoy some disappoint others confuse many and perhaps encourage Alistair Begg said it but now I have to