I Can't Hear You!
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
What were you doing a year ago?
I remember vividly!
This week last year, I delivered my very first message to CrossPoint Church
This was my candidating week
Wow, time flies!
Doesn’t seem like a year, does it?
Granted, COVID took 3 months out...
Still, it doesn’t seem like a year
Funny how things don’t FEEL like something
It doesn’t feel like my son should be driving
It doesn’t feel like football season
It doesn’t feel like it should be 120 degrees in California, but 65 here...
But all of those are true anyway - regardless of feelings
Sometimes, our feelings are right!
It doesn’t feel like we live in Singapore
It doesn’t feel like Tom Jones led worship this morning (thank God)
It doesn’t feel like the Lions are going to win the Super Bowl
We don’t feel like those things are true because they’re not!
It’s important to realize though, it’s not our feelings that MAKE those things true
It’s just our perception
This morning we’re going to look at Daniel’s prayer life one more time
And then we’ll look at our own
Sometimes we feel like God isn’t listening
Sometimes we feel like God doesn’t care
Sometimes we feel like God is choosing not to answer
Maybe those things are just feelings, but maybe they’re true
We’re going to look at 5 reasons your prayer life may be struggling
As we look at Daniel’s situation
YouVersion: I Can’t Hear You!
Daniel 10 (starting v. 2)
Daniel is about to receive a message
We’ll look at the message next week
This week, we just look at Daniel’s circumstances when he receives it
1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.
2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks. 3 I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks.
Last week, Daniel prayed for Jews to return to rebuild
The first wave was sent - God answered Daniel’s prayer
But Daniel didn’t go - in mid 80’s
And now he’s sad! Very few Jews went, and they faced opposition
Maybe also sad that the rebuild would take 49 years
Messiah would take another 434
So Daniel starts to pray again
Mourning, fasting (Daniel fast), no anointing
That means Daniel is putting EFFORT into his prayer!
Too often prayer is undervalued and underutilized!
Why Can’t I Hear God?
Why Can’t I Hear God?
Today we’re going to look at 5 reasons
1. You don’t try
1. You don’t try
How do you say no like a good Christian? Let me pray about that
What do we often do after that? We DON’T PRAY! It’s a cheap excuse!
Prayer is work if you do it right!
Have you ever fasted?
I once fasted for 24 hours - no food or water
Most fasts I have water or I do a liquid fast
I was very dehydrated by the evening - worst headache ever, terrible nausea, writhing in pain
Sounds pathetic for 24 hours...
I was praying desperately to get through to midnight - didn’t want to break
Finally fell asleep at 11:30
It was work! It was painful!
But it was fruitful!
We don’t see prayer that way
“Is there anything do? I don’t want to just pray...”
JUST PRAY?! Real, actual prayer is one of the kindest gifts you can give!
What do we call people that really pray? Prayer WARRIORS!
That’s not just a cute name...
Heidi St. John - “Here’s the thing: warriors can’t afford to be lazy. A warrior who isn’t able to wield her weapon will soon find herself unable to defend against her adversary.”
If you knew there was one thing that could change your life, the lives of your friends, and the world, would you do it?
That one thing exists! It’s prayer
You want to change things, pray intentionally every day
4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris) 5 I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.
This is an interesting looking guy!
Scholars can’t decide who this is...
Sounds like Jesus...
Here’s how Revelation describes Jesus:
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
It could be Jesus, but this being is going to need serious help in v. 13
Shows weakness - can’t be Jesus
2 possibilities:
This is Jesus, and v.13 is a different being
It’s the same being and it’s not Jesus
Either way, it’s an awesome sight
Here’s what happens next:
7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision, but a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves. 8 So I was left alone and saw this great vision, and no strength was left in me. My radiant appearance was fearfully changed, and I retained no strength. 9 Then I heard the sound of his words, and as I heard the sound of his words, I fell on my face in deep sleep with my face to the ground.
They had an opportunity to witness history!
I don’t think they couldn’t hear or see
Perhaps this is like Saul on the road to Damascus
7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.
They could hear the roaring voice but couldn’t see
Perhaps they could see, but didn’t because they were hiding!
Either way, something scared them away! So they missed it...
Why Can’t I Hear God?
Why Can’t I Hear God?
2. You Are Afraid
2. You Are Afraid
There are many ways that fear drives us from prayer:
One is that it can cause you to doubt God’s power
Tasha’s sister Bree
Lost mom at 12, lost dad at 14
She would ask me, “Why did God take my parents?”
I don’t know, but you have to trust Him
Why would I trust Him if that’s what He does?
God can be trustworthy even if you don’t understand Him
Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean He’s wrong...
Another is that it makes you want control
Teaching Ronnie to drive has developed my faith...
Not only do I get a week’s worth of prayer done in 5 miles...
It teaches me to practice faith in Ronnie...
When he first drove, I grabbed the steering wheel a lot...
He was scared of his side, not thinking about mine
Now, he does well enough that I trust I can give him time to correct before we careen to our deaths
Truth is, my driving from the passenger seat is probably more dangerous than Ronnie in the driver’s seat
It’s close, but it’s true...
It’s the same with God
We’ll pray until we don’t like the situation
Then we grab for the wheel in a panic...
Fear also prevents hearing because it distracts you
Worry wrecks your prayer life, but also your everyday life
Leo F. Buscaglia: “Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.”
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Here’s a test:
Can you remember what you were worrying about one year ago today?
If you remember, it probably had some substance.
Ex: I was worried about getting a job!
Actually, I wasn’t - the committee and my family had spent so much time in prayer up to this point I wasn’t all that worried
Doesn’t mean I didn’t care, I just had to trust God and be content either way
In the end, He gave me what I had been praying for 5 months
If you can’t remember it, there was probably no substance
The Swedes say: “Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.”
10 And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. 12 Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.
Daniel was scared too, but didn’t run
But let’s think of Daniel’s stature for a second
He’s scared, trembling
Also says he "set his heart to understand and humbled himself”
Why Can’t I Hear God?
Why Can’t I Hear God?
3. You Are Not Humble
3. You Are Not Humble
There is always a temptation to view God through our own morality
Of course God wants me to be happy!
Because I want to be happy...
Of course Gandhi to heaven
Because I think he was a good guy...
Of course divorce is okay
Because I don’t like that lady I live with...
You want truth, you look in the Scriptures...
You don’t like it… that doesn’t make you right!
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Here’s how this works:
You want to hear God? LET HIM DO THE TALKING!
How often did Jesus rebuke people? CONSTANTLY!
Disciples, pharisees, merchants, His parents...
He was ALWAYS correcting people
It was always the same thing:
Stop thinking you know everything!
Richard Dawkins: “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.”
Do you think He is going to listen to anything God says?
Nope! He’s made up his mind! He knows best...
It’s an issue of pride and self-suffiency
Sadly, someday he will face God and he will be humbled
My prayer is that this happens for him BEFORE he dies
What an incredible testimony that would be...
If you want to hear God, you have to remember who you’re talking to
Let’s go back to Daniel’s encounter
Daniel prays with humility, with a heart for understanding
And then angel is dispatch IN RESPONSE TO PRAYER
As this being is talking, we see why he can’t be Jesus:
13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, 14 and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come.”
This being comes to Daniel, he has to fight with
Widely understood these are spiritual princes
Angels and demons
There’s a demon controlling Persia, and angel comes for Daniel, and they fight for the whole time Daniel was fasting, then Michael (the archangel) steps in to help
We are connected to the spiritual world
Our PRAYERS are connected to the Spiritual world
Jesus tells is that:
28 And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
Why Can’t I Hear God?
Why Can’t I Hear God?
4. There is Spiritual Opposition
4. There is Spiritual Opposition
There is temptation to dismiss the spiritual
A lot of that is the humility thing we talked about
We think we’re too smart to believe THAT
Scripture makes it clear that our battle is a spiritual one
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
If spiritual powers fought against God’s response to Daniel’s prayer
Shouldn’t we expect opposition too?
This is a fight we are all a part of
You live on a battlefield you can’t see
But you certainly see the effects of it
First 2 years of American Revolution, Colonists were missing an important weapon
Muskets were slow/ inaccurate
Experts 3 shots per minute
Fight in lines to reload and rotate
Lines were broken up by horsemen/cannons
When they got close, they ordered a bayonet charge
First 2 years, Continental Army had few bayonets
When it came to a charge, they had to retreat
In close combat, a musket was the wrong weapon
To win in close combat, you need close combat weapons; like bayonets
To win a spiritual fight, you need spiritual weapons; like prayer
15 When he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and was mute. 16 And behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength. 17 How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.”
This vision is physically draining for Daniel
He’s on the ground, he’s on his feet, he’s on the ground
This prayer stuff is more like a UFC fight...
Then this:
18 Again one having the appearance of a man touched me and strengthened me. 19 And he said, “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage.” And as he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”
Daniel is revitalized by this being
And then the vision begins
We’ll see next week
Notice something very important here:
Daniel is:
Strengthened
Informed
Utilized
Encouraged
Supported
Defended
There is a central thing fueling all of this...
And it’s our last reason
Why Can’t I Hear God?
Why Can’t I Hear God?
5. You Don’t Have a Relationship with Him
5. You Don’t Have a Relationship with Him
I hear, “I pray all the time! I need a job, I need help with my spouse, I’m struggling with my kids, no one will help me. I pray and pray and NOTHING!”
Do you read your word? No.
Do you fast? No.
Do you confess your sins? No.
Do you sing praises? No.
Do you go to church? No.
Do you thank Him? No.
Do you share His love with others? No.
Do you spend any time with God at all?
Yeah, asking for stuff!
That’s NOT a relationship!!
God is not your spiritual vending machine
I’ll take C4 - a good job
E11 - a new car
and A2 - a new girlfriend
Sometimes I’ll go to Lowe’s to buy lumber
Tash calls: can you grab some paint?
And maybe some gummy bears?
Sure!
If some random guy came up
Hey man, can you buy me some paint and gummy bears?
Get out of here creepy guy! I don’t know you!
My wife gets to do that because we have a relationship
Why would God want to just sit back and take your orders so you can walk away until you need something again?
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
I encourage you to start seeking God
Not what He can do for you
Not what He can protect you from
But seek Him for who He is - The Great I Am
Closing
Closing
With all these thoughts, I want to highlight something
You have a role in this relationship...
But so does God
You will NEVER do your part perfectly...
Fortunately, He doesn’t expect you to!
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Last year I prayed several times every day for one thing: this right here
Some days I forget, but darn near every day, often several times a day, I thank God that I’m here
I don’t know what Illinois looks like to you
I don’t know what this church looks like to you
I don’t know what God’s actions look like to you
But I absolutely know what it looks like to me
What God is doing is absolutely wonderful
I’m so thankful to be a part of what He’s doing
And I’m so excited to see what year 2 has in store
Hopefully a little less 2020… Amen?
Let’s pray...
Prayer
Prayer