Sermon Tone Analysis

Do you think folks generally take responsibility for their actions or not?

I think thats a hard question to answer.

However, we can all think of examples around us of people who have not taking responsibility.

For instance, There was one story about a burglar who sued a family after getting locked in their garage while trying to rob their house.

Supposedly he was stuck there for eight days since the family was on vacation, forced to live on dog food and warm Pepsi.

Another example told of a woman who sued a furniture store after she tripped over a misbehaving toddler and broke her ankle.

The only problem was that the toddler in question was her own son.

Maybe the best story was of the man who sued Winnebago when his 32-foot RV crashed after he set the cruise control and then went in the back to make a sandwich.[1]

We can all think of times in our own lives when we have not taken responsibility.

When we have made poor choices, and then wondered why a situation was not working out.

It is a matter of who we are trusting in.

In this season on the church calendar we take a moment to reflect upon the coming of JC, and look forward to His return.

In practice, this season often feels busy.

We feel the stress of ensuring family is happy.

We feel obligated to give good gifts those around us.

In practice it may feel like we are going through the motions, and become too busy and apathetic to the intentions of the Advent season.

And so it feels necessary to ask in this busy season: Why is His coming good news?

In the face of our trust issues and busyness, why is the coming of our messiah actually something to celebrate?

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Text

Today we are going to look at Daniel 9 and see if we find an answer to this question.

So grab a Bible and turn to Daniel 9. The book of Daniel calls Gods people to be faithful and obedient during times of hardship.[2]

In Daniel 9, we see a picture of this faithfulness, seen in the person of Daniel.

So lets read Daniel 9 in parts.

1st, lets look at vs. 1-19, which gives us the context of the passage, and Daniels response to the situation of the Jewish people in exile.

In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom 2-in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5 we have sinned and done wrong.

We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.

6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

7 Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame -the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you.

8 We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you.

9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; 10 we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.

11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you.

12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster.

Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.

13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.

14 The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

15 Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong.

16 Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill.

Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.

17 Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant.

For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.

18 Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name.

We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.

19 Lord, listen!

Lord, forgive!

Lord, hear and act!

For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.

Looking at these 19 verses, we ask: What are the movements?

I see 3 primary sections.

1st in v. 2, Daniel is reading from Jeremiah and is convicted by the word.

Daniel gives us an awesome example of faithfulness here.

His people are in exile.

He is discouraged by their plight, and where do we find him?

We find him seeking wisdom in Gods word.

As he does so he discovers the reason for his peoples exile – Sin and disobedience.

In the 2nd section, in v. 3, we see Daniels response to this discouraging word.

Daniel could have given up.

Daniel could have raged and schemed a way to liberate his homeland.

But where do we find him?

We find Daniel humbling himself.

He prays and fasts.

He acknowledges that the only way to freedom is to submit to Gods will.

And then in the 3rd section, in vs. 4-19, we see Daniels prayer.

He starts his prayer in v. 4, w/ praises God for His greatness.

As we offer prayer of any kind, we do well when we 1st acknowledge the greatness of the one we pray to.

It is only by His power and allowance that we receive mercy and grace.

In vs. 5-15 we hear Daniels confession of guilt, for himself and his people.

They have historically ignored Gods commands to goodness, and His warnings, and now, they are reaping what they sowed.

Here we see the great example of Daniel to us.

He is taking responsibility for his actions, and the actions of his people.

And he has postured himself toward God, the only one able to bring about mercy.

If we were to outline the entire chapter of Daniel 9 it might look like this:

*Convicted (v. 2)

*Confession (v.

3-19)

*Vision (v.

20-27)

After Daniel prays, God blesses Daniel w/ another apocalyptic vision.

Lets read these remaining verses in sections.

First lets look at vs. 20-23:

20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill- 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.

22 He instructed me and said to me: Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.

23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed.

Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:

So the angel Gabriel appears and is about to give Daniel the vision.

The section that follows is one of the most challenging pieces of scripture in the entire Bible.

The vision of vs. 24–27 is full of interpretative difficulties, and the primary difference between interpretations is where in time an interpreter places the vision.

Options include during the time of Antiochus IV, the guy who looted the temple we talked about last week.

Another option is around the time of the destruction of Herods Temple, by the Romans in ad 70, or finally, in the time before the return of JC.

All these options have to do w/ how one might interpret the numbers in the vision.

Gabriel is speaking in a highly symbolic manner, mentioning 70-7s.

And the question before every reader of scripture is: Should the numbers be interpreted literally or symbolically?[3]

And I will not plan on answering that question in this time, but focus on the overall message that was given in response to Daniels prayer.

Look at v. 24.

Gabriel says: 24 Seventy sevens are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

So here we see that a period of time is set for the completion of rebellion, and for Gods justice.

This verse serves as the overview of the whole vision.

Gods purpose in the events of the 70-7s is the subject of the verse, to bring in everlasting righteousness signifies that at the end of the time period an era of righteousness will pervade the earth, which will continue for eternity.

Gods people will now be in permanent right relationship with God that will result in living according to Gods will.

Only when the kingdom of God is ushered in at Christ’s return will.[4]