Heartfelt prayer answered
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Hey Lord did you hear me?
Hey Lord did you hear me?
Heart of the prayer warrior has been displayed (Dan9:17-19) and now God is going to answer the prayer in our passage today.
17 “So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary.
18 “O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion.
19 “O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
Daniel had cried out in prayer, Listen Lord (v.17)
Daniel implored God to incline Your ear (v.18)
Daniel begged for God’s eyes to see, ears to hear (v.18)
Daniel asked for action, forgive and do not delay (v.19)
Do you ever feel like God is not listening to your prayers, or He does not hear them? Well, Daniel did not have that problem, it was not an issue, he was resolved and knew God would hear his prayers and supplications just as we should know he hears ours.
God has spoken previously saying to pray (2Chr7:13-15)
13 “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,
14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
15 “Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer offered in this place.
Where this was spoken to Israel and a rebellious Israel at that, with the promise, prophesy that if they turn, God will heal them, forgive them and restore them.
We know we are told prayer is effective (Jm5:13-16)
13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
Don’t grow weary in prayer, keep praying (Lk18:1-8)
In the parable from Jesus of the persistent widow teaching that prayer needs to be consistent, persistent.
In our passage this morning, well, Daniel has been praying (surprise, surprise, surprise) and this is a difficult passage for there are many different interpretations that are given, in fact books have been written on them. As we look at our passage today we want to come with humility and not be dogmatic. We want to come to come to understanding from the scripture and not draw conclusions that would not line up with the scripture.
So here is a breakdown as I see it this morning.
Heartfelt prayer offered and means of answer given (Dan9:20-23)
Seventy weeks; the what and the how described (Dan9:24-27)
20 Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering.
22 He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. 23 “At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision.
Heartfelt prayer
Heartfelt prayer
Prayer without faith has no attention in heaven. Prayers offered in faith, prayers offered with heart, well are effective and powerful. Look at the content and the answer from God in our passage (Dan9:20-23)
Before Daniel finished his prayer, God heard his heartfelt cry. But we need to glean what Daniel was praying so we can learn from it and see God’s answer.
Heartfelt prayers content (v.20):
Praying and confessing sin (personal)
Daniel never separated himself from personal sin and personal responsibility. We can learn from that too. We are not sinless, if we think we are that is contrary to the Word of God (Rom3:23; 1Jn1:8-9)
Application: Take your heartfelt prayers to God acknowledging your own sinfulness before that of others.
Praying and interceding for others sins (the people)
Daniel here in Chapter 9 alone had already been praying for the people too (vv. 3-12)
Praying and presenting with supplication
Supplication is making your requests known to God. Daniel wants understanding, Daniel wants knowledge, Daniel wants answers and Daniel is confident that God is going to answer.
Heartfelt prayer brings God’s answer
God is concerned about His children and hear’s their cry and answers the cry. Notice this:
“Sinlessness is not a condition for answered prayer”
While still praying, God sent help and we know who the help is (v.21)
Gabriel is named and shows up as a man; this is the same angel that was sent in (Dan8:15-16) look at the wording in our passage and you can know that. So Daniel must not be surprised that it was Gabriel. In the Dan8 passage we were not given the name, but now we have it and it applied to both.
Notice when he showed up at the time of the evening offering and came immediately. See it was hour of prayer before the offering, this was a normal time of prayer. Daniel was a prayer warrior and had already set that example before.
God heard the prayer and dispatched His servant (angels are servants) with God’s message, God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer.
While still praying we know what the help is to do and why (v.22-23)
He came at God’s dispatch with a purpose
To give understanding (insight)
Came to assure him who he was to God
Highly favored, esteemed
Came with important message so, take heed
23 “At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision.
Application: Do you know you are highly favored, esteemed, God’s masterpiece, God’s workmanship and have been given God’s message that is important and needs to given heed to?
(Transition) Daniel had previously been reading Jeremiah’s prophesy about the 70 years (Dan9:2) and Isaiah’s prophesy about Cyrus as mentioned in (Dan1:21). Now is the time for Daniel to gain some new insight, to have spiritual eyes opened for understanding. That now brings us to the matter of the seventy weeks.
Seventy weeks
Seventy weeks
While there are different views on this portion of scripture and we will touch on a few, remember to pull from the scripture directly. Remember God does not have to explain everything to us for our understanding. Our passage was for Daniel’s understanding, and we can still learn from it.
24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.
25 “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.
26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.
27 “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
There are different views on this passage, let me briefly discuss
70 weeks applied to the time of Antiochus Epiphanies IV
It was a prophesy looking to the time of Christ and and events of the end.
Or, the coming of Christ, the end of the sacrificial system and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70
(Transition) - so you can see a few views there and I want to bring in and focus on the “non-millennial” view, also known as the chronological view.
Degree given by Artaxerxes to Ezra to go rebuild city (458BC)
so 69 weeks would be 483 years bringing time to about 25-26 AD, about the time of Jesus baptism
70th week, cut off half way (3 1/2 years) cut off, Jesus is crucified, Jesus cut off, death on the cross
70th week, second half the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple under Titus in AD70.
Things accomplished by end of 70 weeks (v.24)
Transgression will be finish
Sins brought to an end
Reconciliation/atonement for iniquity
Everlasting righteousness established
Vision/Prophesy sealed
Most Holy will be anointed?
So how was this all fulfilled? May you consider (Lk19:10; Heb10:12)
Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Lk19:10) to pay the price for our transgressions, with one sacrifice it was done (Heb10:12)
12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God,
Fulfilled by reconciliation to those who believe (Rom5:6-10)
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
God’s demonstrated love in Christ Jesus in who everlasting righteousness is established.
Fulfilled when everlasting righteousness established (Rom5:21)
21 so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Fulfilled at the speaking and appointing of the Son (Heb1:1-2)
Look at the phraseology of this passage
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
Fulfilled at the empowering, the anointing by the Holy Spirit (Act1:8; 1Cor6:19)
8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
The empowering came with the creation of the church, the new temple
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
You are the new temple, but the passage speaks of a “place” noted in (vv.25-26)
25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
So Messiah will be cut off, did that happen? Yes, Jesus lived and died.
People of the prince (v.26) who is to come -
Is this Titus and the Romans who come in and destroy the temple and Jerusalem, or some believe it was Prince Jesus who used the Romana army as His instrument of Judgment.
One week he shall confirm covenant with many
Jesus earthly ministry 3.5 years
Gospel message to Jews after Pentecost believed to be 3-4 years before Gentile world started to be changed.
Middle of the week, end of sacrifices and offerings (consider Heb10:12-18)
Through His death no other sacrifices were needed
12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.
14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will write them,” He then says, 17 “And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Abomination and desolation to come (v.27)
Alluding to the destruction in AD70 as mentioned before. Jesus even alluded to it you can read that in Mt24:15 when you have time.
(transition) So you have a chronological look of the 70 weeks and a focus on the 70th week. This is by no way extensive or exhaustive but hopefully informative and challenging.
While this is a difficult passage, and we may not have the exact same view, I think you can see that in using scripture to historically speak we can see the wonderful promises, the finished work by the Messiah in dealing with sin and righteousness and the introduction of everlasting righteousness found only in Christ Jesus.
So if you have a non-millenial view, a pre-millenial view or even a post millenial view the end is the same, you need to have Jesus or you have judgment coming. May Jesus be your hope and your salvation.
(Jesus my hope slide inserted here)
Prophesy to fulfillment, all things are fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Daniel’s heartfelt prayer was explained to him and I believe fulfilled for us today!