1 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:12,800 Our world is dying, and I'm not saying it because of climate 2 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:17,200 change, because it's just the cycles of the world. 3 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,240 Doctor David Bellamy, we touched on that the other week, told us 4 00:00:21,240 --> 00:00:24,440 that. But our nation spiritually, 5 00:00:25,160 --> 00:00:34,880 families crumbling, the church is lacking in power and God at 6 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:39,600 this time in our world's history is calling you. 7 00:00:40,520 --> 00:00:44,400 You were gathered here, those of you online, watching as he did 8 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:51,080 with young Samuel to hear him. Young boys and young girls, 9 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:56,400 those of you here in the sanctuary, God is looking for 10 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,880 David's. He's looking for Mary. 11 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:05,319 Mary, you remember, was between the age of 13 to 15, and she 12 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:11,680 bore the Son of God. She took on the greatest task 13 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,640 where she knew she was going to be called immoral. 14 00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:20,080 That's a nice way of putting it for the rest of her life. 15 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,080 And she would have to tell Joseph she was pregnant even 16 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:26,920 though she had not been with any man. 17 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:33,120 You teenagers. God is looking for Jeremiah's. 18 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,320 Jeremiah was called to be a preacher. 19 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,320 Much of Daniel today, Chapter 9 is to do with Jeremiah. 20 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,160 He's between the age of 15 and 17. 21 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:47,920 God asked him to do one of the most difficult mission ever as a 22 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:52,960 prophet to call out his nation for idolatry. 23 00:01:54,640 --> 00:02:00,040 God is looking for Daniels, Meshach, Abednego, Shadrachs. 24 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:03,800 He's looking for Andrews teenagers, Andrews teenagers who 25 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:07,280 will get your kids at school. Ask your teenage friend to come, 26 00:02:07,520 --> 00:02:12,720 your teenage sports team person and your team to come to church 27 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:17,160 to know Christ. Young adults those of you who 28 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:24,600 are young adults, God is calling out for esters for you to stand 29 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:29,400 up for such a time as this for Joseph's for young Joseph's to 30 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:33,120 be to be strong and and always wanting to just serve the Lord 31 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:35,800 no matter where it put placed him. 32 00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:44,600 Moms and dads this morning. God is desperate for Abrahams 33 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:48,840 and Sarahs people of faith mum and dads of faith. 34 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:55,120 He's desperate for Zechariahs. Maybe you're a bit older and 35 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:59,960 Elizabeth's, he's desperate for Hannah's who will pray and say, 36 00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:03,960 Lord, this child that I have, I'll dedicate him completely to 37 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:06,200 you. She did that with Samuel. 38 00:03:07,640 --> 00:03:10,760 We're in a period in our world's history like never before. 39 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:16,200 We are on the verge the edge of a period in church prophecy that 40 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:20,920 Jesus said this world has never experienced or will ever 41 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:26,160 experience ever again. Matthew 24 The rapture is 42 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:28,640 imminent. Nothing needs to happen. 43 00:03:29,080 --> 00:03:34,680 Nothing more needs to be set. The rapture can occur at any 44 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:37,920 moment. Following the rapture of the 45 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:40,400 Church will be the tribulation period. 46 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,600 Seven years of virtually how long upon earth? 47 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:45,680 Seven years. You don't want to be here. 48 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:51,280 The judgement of God, the Antichrist, who I believe is 49 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,920 alive. I don't know who He is walking 50 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:57,200 our earth. He will soon rise to power. 51 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:01,800 There's never been a period like this for the urgency of you to 52 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,040 pray. So I'm not another message on 53 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:09,520 prayer. Well, there's four of you here 54 00:04:09,520 --> 00:04:13,880 this morning as we listen to God's Word. 55 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:20,480 Those who'll have hard hearts as the Word of God goes out, the 56 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:22,960 Word of God will do what it's sent to do. 57 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:26,520 It won't return void. Isaiah chapter 55, verses 10 and 58 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,480 11 says that. But the seed as the word goes 59 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:32,080 out will land upon your heart. And it's up to you whether you 60 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,120 have a hard heart and it just bounces off. 61 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,600 Then as those of you who'll have a second heart, that'll be those 62 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:41,560 of you who'll who'll listen to it for a moment. 63 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:43,000 So yeah, that's really good. I need to do that. 64 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,600 And you'll walk out the church, go home, forget all about it. 65 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:50,920 No, Root. And then we, those of you who 66 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:55,880 go, yeah, God spoke to me today, you know, we need to take that 67 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:57,840 to account. And as you go about your 68 00:04:57,840 --> 00:05:00,880 business, Pastor Mullen said you'll be too busy. 69 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:06,120 You know, you can be too busy. You say I'm too busy. 70 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,080 Yeah, you are. You're too busy. 71 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:10,000 You know who's in control of that? 72 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:15,680 Nobody else but yourself. You can't be too busy for God, 73 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:18,920 like you can't be too busy for your husband, too busy for your 74 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:21,000 wife. You can't be too busy for your 75 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,160 family, for your children. You can't do that. 76 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:26,680 It's, it's, it's, it's not kosher. 77 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:35,480 You cannot be too busy for God. And then there's the fourth 78 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:39,320 heart, which I pray all of you will have, will be soft hearts 79 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:40,760 that you'll hear the word of God. 80 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:46,840 It'll go deep into your being, your very soul, and you'll live 81 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:51,880 and obey what God's Word says to you today, and you'll bear fruit 82 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:57,680 in your life, fruit in yourself as an individual, in your 83 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:02,320 family, in your marriage, in your children. 84 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:10,080 There's never been a period like now for the urgency of you to 85 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:16,360 pray, but it's a choice. You must choose to pray. 86 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:21,360 Now Daniel has been reading the background to Chapter 9 is this. 87 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:25,960 Daniel has been reading the Holy Scriptures, the scrolls, They've 88 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:29,840 come into his presence, especially the prophecy of 89 00:06:29,840 --> 00:06:38,120 Jeremiah, which Jeremiah had written in 597 BC, telling them 90 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:41,120 this message. Jeremiah chapter 25, verse 8 to 91 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:42,360 12. I'll read it to you. 92 00:06:43,840 --> 00:06:46,200 Therefore. Thus says the Lord of hosts, and 93 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:48,040 he's speaking to Judah and to Israel. 94 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:51,160 Because you have not heard my words. 95 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:54,080 They've heard them, but they didn't pay attention to them. 96 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,640 Remember the wise man and the foolish man building a house. 97 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:59,600 They both heard. All four hearts and the sorrow 98 00:06:59,600 --> 00:07:01,120 on the sea. They all heard. 99 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:03,800 You'll hear today, but it's what you do with it. 100 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:06,400 Because you've not heard my words. 101 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:10,120 And behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, 102 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:12,760 says the Lord. And Nebuchadnezzar, the king of 103 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:15,160 Babylon. My servant will bring them 104 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:18,080 against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these 105 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:22,360 nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, make them 106 00:07:22,360 --> 00:07:25,480 an astonishment, A hissing and perpetual desolations. 107 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:29,520 Moreover, I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice 108 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:32,880 of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the 109 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:35,440 bride. Tragedy was to come to Israel. 110 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,440 The sound of the millstones, of the light of the lamp. 111 00:07:38,440 --> 00:07:41,080 In other words, there's not going to be anyone working and 112 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:45,320 enjoying food. Verse 11 And this whole land, 113 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:49,080 Israel shall be a desolation and an astonishment. 114 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:54,120 And these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 70 years. 115 00:07:55,960 --> 00:08:00,640 This is before it all happened. Then it will come to pass when 116 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,840 70 years are completed in Babylon. 117 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:08,760 Then I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the 118 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:12,160 land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, says the Lord, and 119 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:14,560 I'll make it a perpetual desolation. 120 00:08:15,720 --> 00:08:19,200 Jeremiah 2910. It then says, For thus says the 121 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:23,280 Lord, that after 70 years be accomplished at Babylon, I will 122 00:08:23,280 --> 00:08:28,320 visit you and perform my good work toward you in causing you 123 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:34,159 to return home. Now here's what he says at the 124 00:08:34,159 --> 00:08:39,640 end of this in Jeremiah and Daniel has been reading this, 125 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,240 the Lord says, for I know the thoughts that I think towards 126 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:44,960 you. This is God speaking the same 127 00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:48,600 God who says judgments going to come, says the Lord thoughts of 128 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:50,200 peace. I don't want to do this, but 129 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:55,280 you've left me no choice not of evil to give you an expected 130 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:59,440 end. Then after that 70 years, then 131 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,440 you shall call upon me, and you shall go and do what you'll 132 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:08,600 pray. You'll pray unto me, and I will 133 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:11,760 listen to you, and you shall seek me. 134 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:14,920 And when you seek me because you're praying, you'll find me. 135 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:21,720 And when you shall search for me with all your heart, and I'll be 136 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:24,200 found of you, says the Lord. And I will turn away your 137 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:26,960 captivity. I will gather you from all the 138 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:30,360 nations and from all the places where I've driven you, says the 139 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:32,560 Lord. And I'll bring you again into 140 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:36,720 the place which I cause you to be carried away from captive. 141 00:09:37,560 --> 00:09:41,080 There are three significant chapter nines in the Old 142 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:44,920 Testament, and each of them contain a prayer of similar 143 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:47,600 nature. Ezra Chapter 9. 144 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:51,400 Nehemiah Chapter 9. Daniel Chapter 9. 145 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:56,600 In each instant we find a servant of God on their knees 146 00:09:56,880 --> 00:10:00,320 before the word of God with the word of God praying and 147 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:02,520 interceding for the people of God. 148 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:07,800 In verses 1 to 2 will see the promptings of prayer. 149 00:10:08,120 --> 00:10:12,000 Why did Daniel pray this prayer And I've got to tell you this is 150 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:13,520 my favourite prayer in the Bible. 151 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:19,080 Daniel Chapter 9 in verse one. It will tell us the time of the 152 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:23,440 prayer prayer that it was the period when Cyrus the Persian 153 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:27,200 remember Babylonian falls in the Medes and the Persians take over 154 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:31,840 placed his uncle Darius on the throne of Babylon to rule part 155 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:38,440 of the new Medo Persian Empire. The events in Chapter 9 follow 156 00:10:38,440 --> 00:10:43,920 chronologically those from chapter 5 that doesn't go 567. 157 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:49,200 It's actually chapter 5 and then the events in Chapter 9 follow 158 00:10:49,920 --> 00:10:54,880 chapter 5 S 9 verse one follows directly Daniel 531. 159 00:10:55,280 --> 00:11:00,880 It was the year 538 BC. Now, remember, it was a massive 160 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:05,680 period of upheaval, not only in Babylon with the fall of Babylon 161 00:11:05,680 --> 00:11:09,880 and the Medes and the Persians taken over, but a massive 162 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:15,880 upheaval in Daniel's life. So what did Daniel do when 163 00:11:15,880 --> 00:11:19,680 things around him, it's getting to the end of the Babylonian 164 00:11:19,680 --> 00:11:21,720 empire. He's read Jeremiah. 165 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:24,200 He knows things are about to change. 166 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:30,200 Prophecy is ringing in his ears. He's stationing the future that 167 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:32,760 it's about to change that God had planned. 168 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:35,880 So what does he do? He buried himself in the Word of 169 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:38,720 God. I pray that you are students of 170 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:42,320 the Word of God, particularly now, Daniel, the Book of 171 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:44,520 Revelation. Your kids need to know the Book 172 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:48,200 of Revelation. They need to know about the 173 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:50,680 rapture. They need to know about the 174 00:11:50,680 --> 00:11:54,000 coming tribulation. They need to know why such 175 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:55,960 things are happening in Israel right now. 176 00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:01,000 In particular, Daniel buried himself in the prophet Jeremiah. 177 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:05,640 You see, reading the Scriptures, being passionate about prayer, 178 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:08,680 tells us that they stand and fall together. 179 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:12,120 If you're not a praying person, I guarantee you're not reading 180 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:15,280 the Bible. If you read the Bible solidly, I 181 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:17,320 guarantee you're a praying person. 182 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:22,320 If your prayer life is lacking, you need to grab the Bible. 183 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:27,040 Give yourself to a steady, quiet, reflective reading. 184 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:30,880 Perhaps just start with one book and you will be prompted. 185 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:33,600 No matter what, you'll be driven to pray. 186 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:39,520 As you read the Bible, you will begin to pray because as you 187 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:42,680 read, what happens? You read the Bible, God starts 188 00:12:42,680 --> 00:12:46,160 speaking to you. The Holy Spirit will direct your 189 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:50,960 thoughts to matters and people He wants you to pray for. 190 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:52,840 Give Dad a call, you'll be reading it. 191 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:56,840 And listen Give Dad a call, you'll be reading it. 192 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:00,400 Maybe you're the husband, you know I'm reading the script. 193 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:06,280 I need to forgive my Ask God to help me to be a better husband. 194 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:08,120 I need to ask my wife to forgive me. 195 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:12,760 I need to, as I'm reading the scriptures, you're reading the 196 00:13:12,920 --> 00:13:15,160 the word of God and and the Holy Spirit speak. 197 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:18,040 You need to go and speak to your child that one. 198 00:13:18,560 --> 00:13:21,960 She needs a special time with you now. 199 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:23,760 You need to courage encourage her. 200 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:28,760 You need to speak to her now. And that's what happens. 201 00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:32,960 It's how God moves in your life and it's in that time of prayer. 202 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:34,960 You go there. Most people treat prayer like 203 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:36,920 going to the to the corner store. 204 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:38,920 Here's my list. Here's my shopping list. 205 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:46,480 Instead, when you go to prayer, you sit and God begins to speak 206 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:52,560 to you and it changes your life. It changes your direction from 207 00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:57,280 being selfish Sam, to being considerate. 208 00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:02,840 It lights up your sensitivities to your marriage where it's 209 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:05,840 wrong, where it's not happening to your parenting when you're 210 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:09,680 falling short, to your children where they missing you in some 211 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:11,520 area. There's a need that one has 212 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:13,600 because each of your children are unique. 213 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:17,160 They're not the same. You can't have the same things 214 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:19,160 for all of your children. They're unique. 215 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,880 They require different attention. 216 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:27,080 But remember, they're made in the image of God, and God is the 217 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:28,640 only one who knows what they need. 218 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:32,800 So the Scriptures grabbed Daniel's heart. 219 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:36,800 As he knew from Jeremiah, the 70 years were nearly up for the 220 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:40,320 period of captivity in Babylon. It's nearly time to go home. 221 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:46,320 Daniel now is about 90 years of age, and he stirred in his heart 222 00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:50,560 as he reads this prophecy and acknowledges the time is at 223 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:54,680 hand. It's time to you and I today. 224 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:57,040 It's time. We're not going to Babylon. 225 00:14:57,040 --> 00:14:58,880 Guess what? We're going to go to heaven. 226 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:04,640 It's nearly time. It's time to pray like never 227 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:08,720 before because your relatives, your unsaved loved ones at the 228 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:12,160 moment, should the rapture occur, who's going with you? 229 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:18,800 Who's staying behind? He begins to pray one of the 230 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:20,600 most amazing prayers in the Bible. 231 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:23,640 Daniel does. It is said that when a man or 232 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:28,360 woman of God believes the promises of God like Daniel, his 233 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:33,280 or her faith becomes active, not passive. 234 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:38,040 It's too many weak, passive church attenders now. 235 00:15:40,520 --> 00:15:44,440 Faith always draws you as a believer to God. 236 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,800 So we see the pursuit of prayer, verse one in the first year of 237 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:54,560 Darius the son of Ahasiris of the lineage of the Medes, who 238 00:15:54,560 --> 00:15:58,240 was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans in the first year 239 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:03,000 of his reign. I Daniel understood by the books 240 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:06,760 that is the the prophecies, the word, the Scriptures, the number 241 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:10,120 of the years specified by the word of the Lord through 242 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:14,080 Jeremiah the prophet that he would accomplish 70 years in the 243 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:18,440 desolation of Jerusalem. So as I read that, what happened 244 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:24,720 then because of that, I set my face toward the Lord God to make 245 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:26,160 request. How? 246 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:33,560 By prayer and supplications with fastings, sackcloth and ashes. 247 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:38,960 Sackcloth is is camel hair. Basically you turn it inside 248 00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:41,600 out, you put it on you. It's uncomfortable. 249 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:49,280 It's like wearing a Bale of hay and it's to to to cause you to 250 00:16:49,280 --> 00:16:54,000 reckon, recognise and remember the position that you're in that 251 00:16:54,000 --> 00:17:00,560 we're in difficult times to put aside just a cruisy life and to 252 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:06,839 remember I need to pray now known as Daniel took the Bible 253 00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:10,720 literally 70 years. It's 70 years. 254 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:14,440 Daniel could have said, well, this is going to happen. 255 00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:16,960 Why? I'll just do nothing. 256 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:20,720 I'll just, it'll happen. It's just going to happen and it 257 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,440 will happen because God said it. So I'll just do nothing. 258 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:25,359 Are you doing nothing about the rapture? 259 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:31,720 You know, Peter says we ought to pray to speed it up, to speed up 260 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,000 the coming of the Lord. You know, the Bible says that 261 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:37,240 we, we don't just sit around and go. 262 00:17:37,240 --> 00:17:40,240 All the rapture will happen sooner or later, just whenever. 263 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,640 No, no, the Bible says you and I are to pray. 264 00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:48,320 Actually, the last prayer of the Bible, the last prayer on the 265 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:52,120 Bible says this Lord, come quickly. 266 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,520 It is said that Daniel set his face under the Lord. 267 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:03,840 That means with deep devotion and intense desire he turned to 268 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:07,440 God. This prayer was a prayer with 269 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:11,080 passion. But notice it says that Daniel's 270 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:15,400 prayer was accompanied by fasting, sackcloth and ashes. 271 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:18,560 The only time we hear about fasting today is when someone's 272 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:24,120 trying to lose weight. All a symbols of deep 273 00:18:24,120 --> 00:18:26,360 repentance, devotion and humility. 274 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:31,440 Fasting, supplication, the wearing of the sackcloth were 275 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:35,240 all outward marks of an inward contrition. 276 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:41,880 Daniel was he was broken, sad, had penitence in his heart. 277 00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:46,480 Daniel is, remember, the Prime Minister of Babylon. 278 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:53,200 So he lays aside his Armani suit, his Italian shoes that 279 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:59,600 he'd be wearing, and he puts on sackcloth the rightful position 280 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:04,400 clothing before God to come before God says I don't want all 281 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:06,280 your sacrifices and this and that. 282 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:08,760 You know you come that don't mean nothing, but what I want 283 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:12,400 from you is a broken and a contrite heart. 284 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:20,400 I want a heart that when I speak you, you realise where you are, 285 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:22,400 what I've done for you and how great I am. 286 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:28,160 But we want to know this morning, what was it really that 287 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:32,760 drove Daniel to pray this prayer, the prophecy of 288 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:35,160 Jeremiah? Yes, it was nearly time. 289 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:39,720 It's about 67 years. It's about 3 years to go in 290 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:45,640 Chapter 9, so it's soon. Do you understand how prophecy 291 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:48,440 works? The prophecy of the time in 292 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:52,800 which you and I are living? Do you know, as I said, what the 293 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,200 last prayer in the Bible is? Revelation 2220. 294 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:00,960 He who testifies of these things says surely I'm coming quickly. 295 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:06,040 That's what Jesus said. John's response was Even so come 296 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:11,720 Lord Jesus. It's time to be praying this in 297 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:16,600 agreement with John and now is the day to choose to pray. 298 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:21,120 It's a choice. Even so come Lord Jesus verse 4 299 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:25,360 And I prayed to the Lord my God. So what did he do? 300 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:31,800 I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession and said, O 301 00:20:31,800 --> 00:20:37,840 Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant, that means 302 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:43,440 He keeps His promises and mercy. Underline that with those who 303 00:20:43,440 --> 00:20:47,240 love Him and with those who keep His commandments. 304 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:51,520 But there is something that as I read Daniel this time in leading 305 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:55,720 up today and this prayer this week, and I was reading it over 306 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,680 and over and over. What is it, Lord, that I never 307 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:02,320 saw like before? He says, Oh Lord, great and 308 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:05,440 awesome God who keeps his covenant and mercy for those who 309 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:09,400 love him. Daniel as he read the 310 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:14,160 Scriptures, as he experienced living miraculously in Babylon, 311 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:18,560 Daniel knew deep in his heart what God was like. 312 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:23,160 And you got, you know, the way that you pray or you don't pray 313 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:28,600 tells everybody else, especially yourself, what God you worship. 314 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:32,080 If you don't bother with prayer, it means you don't believe God 315 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:36,960 loves you, you don't trust him. You just go about your business 316 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:40,040 and you just go, well, I received Christ and at the end 317 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:45,200 of the day, I hope I'm saved. But if you believe God as your 318 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:50,680 heavenly Father, if you believe you were lost, you were a 319 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:55,400 Sinner, that you man your life without Christ, you'd probably 320 00:21:55,400 --> 00:22:02,760 be in gaol dead or in some place that you know, you wish, man, it 321 00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:12,720 wasn't looking good. You see, Daniel knew what God 322 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:17,400 was like. He says, God, you're great and 323 00:22:17,400 --> 00:22:19,360 you're awesome. Not like awesome today you go, 324 00:22:19,440 --> 00:22:23,880 oh man, that's awesome. The word awesome is pronounced 325 00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:30,480 in the Hebrew Yoray, and it means to fear, to Revere, to be 326 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:35,880 awed by, to honour. Daniel knew who God is. 327 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:38,120 He knew who he really is. Why? 328 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:43,720 He had experienced God's power from the time that he and his 329 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:45,960 three friends arrived in Babylon. 330 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:48,880 God had seen the power move amongst him. 331 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:52,760 He'd been in the lion's den. He he'd been given the visions, 332 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:55,840 he'd spoken to Nebuchadnezzar. Placed in a high position. 333 00:22:55,920 --> 00:23:00,960 He wasn't dead, he had found favour. 334 00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:07,840 But he says in verse 5, we have sinned and committed an 335 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:11,040 iniquity. We have done wickedly and 336 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:15,080 rebelled even by departing from your precepts and your 337 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:18,280 judgments. You see, when you realise how 338 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:20,280 great and awesome and loving God is. 339 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:23,720 And man, I was touched this morning again as we took 340 00:23:23,720 --> 00:23:34,800 communion and we held that cup. Now I know it's not blood, but I 341 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:40,640 pictured the cup. Christ's blood. 342 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,120 You ever been somewhere, ever, you cut yourself badly and 343 00:23:46,120 --> 00:23:51,080 there's blood everywhere. We're on the cross at Calvary 344 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:57,040 and all over Christ's body. Blood was everywhere. 345 00:23:59,760 --> 00:24:06,360 Innocent, innocent blood. And it was shed for one reason. 346 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:11,440 It required His blood for the forgiveness of sins, because the 347 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:16,760 blood of animals just covers it, but the blood of Christ removes 348 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:20,880 it. It makes you innocent like Him. 349 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:26,040 It makes you right before God. It makes you forgiven. 350 00:24:26,680 --> 00:24:38,820 It makes you acceptable to God. You see, Daniel knew. 351 00:24:39,020 --> 00:24:42,140 He says I'm a Sinner. We have sinned. 352 00:24:42,940 --> 00:24:45,780 We have rebelled against covenant keeping, merciful, 353 00:24:45,780 --> 00:24:48,600 awesome God. We have turned our backs on Him. 354 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:50,600 We have scorned him and his commands. 355 00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:54,800 Verse 6 Neither have we heeded your servants, the prophets who 356 00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:58,640 spoke in your name to our kings, and our Princess to our fathers 357 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:02,360 and all the people of the land, the children of Israel. 358 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:07,200 As Jeremiah tells us in great detail that when the prophets 359 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:12,720 like Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk and others living at that time, 360 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:17,200 they both an all warned Judah in Israel, you're worshipping 361 00:25:17,200 --> 00:25:20,880 idols, you're neglecting God, you're farming the land, you're 362 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:25,160 not giving it a year of rest. It's you're not doing right. 363 00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:28,280 Judgements going to come and God warned them and God warned them 364 00:25:28,280 --> 00:25:35,080 and God warned them over and over of the outcome if they 365 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:39,400 continued in sin and adultery. I want to ask you this morning, 366 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:44,960 has God been warning you? Good thing is 1 If God is 367 00:25:44,960 --> 00:25:46,840 warning you, that means he loves you. 368 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:54,200 But 2 has God been warning you? You know that little voice and 369 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:58,200 you've ignored it and ignored it and ignored it? 370 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:03,800 Has he been saying the same things to you about your life, 371 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:08,000 about your walk with him over and over and over? 372 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:11,120 Where are you? Where are you? 373 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:14,680 You don't talk to me anymore. You don't bother with me 374 00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:16,320 anymore. You've put me aside. 375 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:18,160 You've got other things before me. 376 00:26:18,400 --> 00:26:23,440 Where are you? In verse 7 it says, O Lord, 377 00:26:23,440 --> 00:26:26,360 righteousness belongs to you, but to us. 378 00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:31,080 Shame of face as it is this day to the men of Judah, to the 379 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:35,520 inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far 380 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:37,840 off, in all the countries to which you've driven them, 381 00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:40,840 because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed 382 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:44,200 against you. O Lord, to us belongs shame of 383 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:48,160 face to our kings, our Princess, and our fathers. 384 00:26:48,360 --> 00:26:53,560 Why, we've sinned against you, we've sinned against you. 385 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:59,600 Daniel's words reveal that every action of God is righteous. 386 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:03,440 Whatever God does, whatever God does, it's always the right 387 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:06,760 thing to do, including his judgements. 388 00:27:07,800 --> 00:27:12,480 When God judges Australia, and I believe he will, it'll be right. 389 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:17,760 God can never do anything that is not the right thing to do. 390 00:27:18,880 --> 00:27:23,960 Verse 9 To the Lord our God belong and notice, but where he 391 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:26,200 keeps, he's telling you what God's like. 392 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:30,160 This is the God he's praying to. He knows we've sinned, we're 393 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:34,040 sinners, we've ignored you, but he goes back to God, God. 394 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:39,360 But you are the Lord our God belong, mercy and forgiveness. 395 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:44,760 Though we have rebelled against Him, we have not obeyed the 396 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:49,000 voice of the Lord our God to walk in His laws which He set 397 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:50,960 before us by His servants, the prophets. 398 00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:55,200 Yes, all Israel has transgressed your law and has departed so as 399 00:27:55,200 --> 00:28:00,080 not to obey your voice. Therefore, because we've done 400 00:28:00,080 --> 00:28:04,360 that, the curse and the oath written in the law of Moses, the 401 00:28:04,360 --> 00:28:09,120 servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have 402 00:28:09,120 --> 00:28:14,320 sinned against Him, and He has confirmed His words, which He 403 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:18,760 spoke against us and against our judges, who judged us by 404 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:23,040 bringing upon us a great disaster, the fall of Israel, 405 00:28:23,040 --> 00:28:27,640 the fall of Jerusalem, and captivity in Babylon. 406 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:31,520 For under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has 407 00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:36,200 been done to Jerusalem. Again, notice in Daniel's prayer 408 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:44,920 this wonder of who God is, and that his character, God's 409 00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:47,560 character is. What is the character of God 410 00:28:47,560 --> 00:28:50,040 that you think? When I was a kid, the character 411 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:56,480 of God that I had raised up on movies was that God was on a 412 00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:02,640 throne and I pictured it a big white cement marble throne, 413 00:29:03,920 --> 00:29:06,560 can't see his face. Around him was clouds. 414 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:11,840 And alongside was the leather that anyone that did wrong, God 415 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:18,440 just went and that was the the fear of God that has a child. 416 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:25,680 But then Jesus came and Philip said to Jesus, any chance you 417 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:29,920 could show us what God the Father's like, what God's really 418 00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:37,840 like? Philip, come here nose to nose, 419 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:43,200 grabbed him by the ears. If you've seen me, you've seen 420 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:46,880 the Father. You want to know what God is 421 00:29:46,880 --> 00:29:49,440 like? Read the Gospels. 422 00:29:50,960 --> 00:29:57,600 Jesus sat and ate with sinners. The woman caught in an adultery 423 00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:04,840 go and sin no more. The lepers never been touched by 424 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:09,600 anyone. He touches them, he heals them, 425 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:14,880 the children want to calm and he picks them up and he places them 426 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:19,160 on his knees and he says just become like the children and 427 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:23,280 you'll see this Kingdom of God as he hung on the cross. 428 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:25,680 He didn't cry out this is not right. 429 00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:29,920 I'm not doing this. He never added a word in agony. 430 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:35,120 Instead he said father forgive them for they know not what they 431 00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:38,920 do. That's what God's like to the 432 00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:42,160 thief on the cross dying next to him rightfully dying for his 433 00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:46,880 crimes said today you'll be with me in paradise. 434 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:56,440 What was the God like that you probably don't pray to? 435 00:30:57,840 --> 00:31:04,040 He's that God, the angry God, because the Bible tells me the 436 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:10,600 God of the Bible that Daniel prayed to was a merciful God and 437 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:14,040 I need mercy. I need mercy every day. 438 00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:22,640 He says God, you are merciful, you pardon even those who have 439 00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:29,440 rebelled against you. He says that there was a very 440 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:35,760 wicked king that ruled Judah for 55 years and says he did evil in 441 00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:38,880 the side of the Lord according to the abominations of the 442 00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:42,480 nations who the Lord had cast out before the children of 443 00:31:42,480 --> 00:31:46,360 Israel. In Second Chronicles chapter 33, 444 00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:51,080 verse 2, we come across this king and his name was Manasseh 445 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:55,960 and he introduced idols and idol worship throughout the land of 446 00:31:55,960 --> 00:32:00,640 Israel and God spoke to Manasseh about his wickedness. 447 00:32:01,320 --> 00:32:05,520 Manasseh wouldn't listen to God. Manasseh was then captured 448 00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:08,600 because he wouldn't listen to God, and he was carried off to 449 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:13,200 Babylon, and he he was put in chains, and whilst he was in 450 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:16,160 chains, it says in Second Chronicles 3312. 451 00:32:16,520 --> 00:32:20,840 And when Manasseh was in affliction, he sought the Lord 452 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:25,240 his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his 453 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:31,200 Father's, and prayed unto him. And he was entreated of him, and 454 00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:34,120 heard his supplication. In other words, God listened to 455 00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:37,280 him and brought him again to Jerusalem. 456 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:40,640 He forgave him, brought him back to the Kingdom. 457 00:32:41,640 --> 00:32:46,480 And it says then Manasseh knew that the Lord, he was God, he 458 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:48,360 was God, he was the merciful God. 459 00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:53,960 And Manasseh burnt down all the idols, put them all down. 460 00:32:56,160 --> 00:32:59,120 He humbled himself greatly before the God of his Father's. 461 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:03,320 The word humbled reminds us that the essence of Manasseh sin was 462 00:33:03,320 --> 00:33:05,680 what pride? The reason you don't pray is 463 00:33:05,680 --> 00:33:09,400 because you don't need to. Manasseh didn't pray. 464 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:13,440 He didn't go before God in humility because he said, I'll 465 00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:16,240 sort this out. I can get, I'll, I'll fix this. 466 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:20,760 I'll run my life. The phrase God of his father 467 00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:24,120 reminds us that Manasseh returned to the godly heritage 468 00:33:24,320 --> 00:33:26,920 he received from his father, Hezekiah. 469 00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:31,160 Hezekiah was his dad, and this is a wonderful example of the 470 00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:34,840 principal train up a child and the way he should go, and when 471 00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:36,600 he is old, he'll not depart from it. 472 00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:40,760 Proverbs 22 six. Manasseh was raised by a godly 473 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:44,280 father. Yet Manasseh lived in defiance 474 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:47,640 of his father's faith for most of his life. 475 00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:52,480 But nevertheless, at the end of his days, he truly repented and 476 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:57,240 he served God. He was an evil king. 477 00:33:58,560 --> 00:34:01,080 Well, what would you and I'd do if we were God? 478 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:04,720 We'd wipe him out. What about the prodigal who runs 479 00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:06,520 away and wants the dog? Wants your dad. 480 00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:07,400 Dad. I wish you were dead. 481 00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:10,800 Just give me your money. I'm going off and blows it all. 482 00:34:11,199 --> 00:34:13,159 Oh, you're coming home now, are you? 483 00:34:13,159 --> 00:34:14,679 Oh, what? You still want me dead? 484 00:34:15,120 --> 00:34:17,360 Oh, what's Where's all the money that I gave to you? 485 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:20,120 The inheritance. You never thought about us? 486 00:34:20,960 --> 00:34:26,400 No. The prodigals dad sat on the 487 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:35,960 road every day, watching, looking, waiting for his son to 488 00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:39,280 come home. And then the moment he saw him, 489 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:42,280 the only time in the Bible we ever see God. 490 00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:45,880 In a hurry, he pulled up his garment, which was not the right 491 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:49,480 thing to do in those days, and he ran down and he hugged his 492 00:34:49,480 --> 00:34:52,920 son. That's the God who you are 493 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:55,520 missing out on if you don't pray. 494 00:34:58,160 --> 00:35:00,640 It's, it's the God. Do you know him? 495 00:35:03,080 --> 00:35:05,680 Because if you have someone that you really love and who really 496 00:35:05,680 --> 00:35:08,120 loves you, you know what? You've spent time with them. 497 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:11,360 Oh man, I just want to be with him. 498 00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:15,400 I want to have him speak to me. I want to be in his presence. 499 00:35:21,490 --> 00:35:24,370 Verse 13 as it is written in the law of Moses. 500 00:35:24,370 --> 00:35:28,320 All this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not made our 501 00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:31,600 prayer. Notice that before the Lord our 502 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:35,120 God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand your 503 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:37,360 truth. Therefore the Lord has kept the 504 00:35:37,360 --> 00:35:40,080 disaster in mind and brought it upon us. 505 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:42,880 The Lord our God is righteous and all the works He does, 506 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:44,960 though we have not obeyed His voice. 507 00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:48,600 The prayer is punctuated by Daniel's personal confession. 508 00:35:48,840 --> 00:35:51,600 I prayed under the Lord. I made my confession. 509 00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:53,600 Verse 4. We have sinned. 510 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:56,480 Verse 5. But why did Daniel pray this 511 00:35:56,480 --> 00:36:04,010 way? Because Daniel realised all of 512 00:36:04,010 --> 00:36:06,210 sinned. There's no good person in the 513 00:36:06,210 --> 00:36:09,050 world. None seek after God. 514 00:36:10,050 --> 00:36:12,970 When you're a man or woman of prayer, the more time you spend 515 00:36:12,970 --> 00:36:16,690 with the Lord, the greater you understand just who you are 516 00:36:17,050 --> 00:36:21,800 without Him and how great and marvellous and holy He is. 517 00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:27,280 In Isaiah 65, when Isaiah saw the Lord, Isaiah the great 518 00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:32,320 prophet said, woe is me, for I am undone because I am a man of 519 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:35,160 unclean lips. I dwell in the midst of a people 520 00:36:35,160 --> 00:36:39,680 of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of 521 00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:42,920 hosts. No man or woman can have a true 522 00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:47,880 concept of themselves until 1 draws near to God, the holy God 523 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:51,960 of Israel. For when we see God, for who and 524 00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:58,280 what He really is, awesome, God of mercy, holy, and our hearts 525 00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:02,360 for what they truly are. I'm a Sinner, I'm selfish, I'm 526 00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:06,760 arrogant, I do the wrong thing. I think about myself all the 527 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:10,320 time. Then repentance naturally flows 528 00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:12,840 when we become a person of prayer. 529 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:17,680 We can no longer live or hide who we are before a holy God. 530 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:21,560 We find out what we owe Him. I owe you everything, God. 531 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:24,120 How dependent we are now upon Him. 532 00:37:24,240 --> 00:37:26,040 I can't do anything right without you. 533 00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:29,000 How much we love Him and we trust Him. 534 00:37:29,680 --> 00:37:32,680 How thankful we will always be to Him. 535 00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:37,840 Verse 15. Now the petition and now, O 536 00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:41,320 Lord, our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt, 537 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:45,080 you see, and we need to remember what has God already done for 538 00:37:45,080 --> 00:37:49,960 you in your life with a mighty hand and made yourself a name as 539 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:52,360 it is this day. We have sinned, we have done 540 00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:55,480 wickedly, O Lord, according to all your righteousness. 541 00:37:55,720 --> 00:38:02,960 I what I pray, let your anger and your fury what be turned 542 00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:07,000 away from your city mercy, Jerusalem, your holy mountain 543 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:10,080 because of our sins and for the iniquities of our Father 544 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:14,680 Jerusalem and your people are a reproach to all those around us. 545 00:38:15,200 --> 00:38:19,240 Now therefore, based on that what I've just said, our God, 546 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:23,560 what does Daniel say? He says, hear the prayer of your 547 00:38:23,560 --> 00:38:30,440 servant and his supplication, and for your sake, Lord, your 548 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:33,480 face to shine on your sanctuary, which is desolate. 549 00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:40,000 Verse 18 Oh my God, it's personal, Daniel, his prayer, 550 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:43,280 it's personal. Oh my God, incline your ear and 551 00:38:43,280 --> 00:38:45,080 hear. Open your eyes and see our 552 00:38:45,080 --> 00:38:48,080 desolations and the city which is called by your name. 553 00:38:48,240 --> 00:38:51,480 For we do not present our supplication before you because 554 00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:54,480 of our righteous deeds, but because of your great mercies. 555 00:38:54,600 --> 00:38:57,240 We come before you and tell you the truth, Lord, because we need 556 00:38:57,240 --> 00:39:02,960 your mercy. Lord hear, oh Lord, forgive. 557 00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:08,080 Oh Lord, listen and act. Do not deny for your own sake, 558 00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:11,920 my God, for your city, your people are called by your name. 559 00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:16,720 Lord hear, hear me, forgive me, forgive us, listen to us. 560 00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:19,480 Act. Please, Lord, how many of you 561 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,800 have loved ones, family and friends who do not know Christ 562 00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:26,760 as the Lord and Saviour? Don't you rush to them when they 563 00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:30,600 have an hour of need, when you visit them in their affliction? 564 00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:33,480 Don't you do that? See them when they're in a storm 565 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:36,920 of illness or something else that struck them down? 566 00:39:37,280 --> 00:39:41,160 Listen carefully to Daniel's words for those whom he loved in 567 00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:45,200 his prayer for their souls. Oh Lord, according to your 568 00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:48,880 righteous, I pray, let your anger and your fury be turned 569 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:51,800 away. Daniel prays. 570 00:39:51,800 --> 00:39:55,160 He intercedes with his heart laid bare before God. 571 00:39:55,440 --> 00:39:59,680 He knows judgement and justice of what is deserved, but he 572 00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:03,800 calls out to God for God's anger and fury to be turned away. 573 00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:07,160 God, I need your mercy. I need your forgiveness. 574 00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:09,960 It's undeserved. Yes, I asked for it. 575 00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:14,720 Hear me, hear my prayer. Because Daniel knows he's God. 576 00:40:20,240 --> 00:40:24,960 Mercy. The Word occurs 282 times and 577 00:40:24,960 --> 00:40:29,920 269 verses in the Bible. But As for me, I'll come into 578 00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:33,160 your house and the multitude of your mercy in fear of you. 579 00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:35,240 I will worship toward the holy temple. 580 00:40:36,520 --> 00:40:41,840 As we wrap this up, God this morning is speaking clearly and 581 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:47,840 deeply to souls who have fallen away from walking with Him, to 582 00:40:47,840 --> 00:40:51,680 those who have never walked. Perhaps you're here today, but 583 00:40:51,680 --> 00:40:53,560 you've never committed your life to Christ. 584 00:40:54,880 --> 00:40:59,360 You've been religious for some time, but within your heart you 585 00:40:59,360 --> 00:41:03,360 believe you've gone too far. You kind of come to church and 586 00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:05,680 you think I'm beyond being saved. 587 00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:10,240 The God Daniel prayed to speaks to your heart right now. 588 00:41:10,240 --> 00:41:17,200 If that's you invite you to hear him, to know him for I know 589 00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:21,280 Jeremiah said I know the thoughts that I think towards 590 00:41:21,280 --> 00:41:25,560 you, says the Lord thoughts of peace, not of evil to give you 591 00:41:25,560 --> 00:41:29,240 an unexpected end. You see, you think God wants to 592 00:41:29,240 --> 00:41:31,600 judge you. No, he sent his son. 593 00:41:31,600 --> 00:41:33,480 He doesn't want to judge you. He wants to save you. 594 00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:41,360 He doesn't want to judge you. Oh Lord, verse 19 here, Oh Lord, 595 00:41:41,360 --> 00:41:43,840 forgive. Oh Lord, listen and act. 596 00:41:48,240 --> 00:41:53,680 Daniel finishes his prayer verse 20 and the Angel Gabriel 597 00:41:53,680 --> 00:41:56,560 appears. Why? 598 00:41:56,600 --> 00:42:00,880 Why does Gabriel turn up? To give him skill and 599 00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:03,000 understanding. Daniel, I want you to know. 600 00:42:04,120 --> 00:42:09,000 I want you to know I don't want you to be an idiot and dumb in 601 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:11,880 the things of the Lord. I want you to know what all this 602 00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:15,920 is about. And Daniel, I want you to know 603 00:42:16,560 --> 00:42:21,040 it's time to pray. Do you this morning know it is 604 00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:23,120 time for you to pray now for your loved ones? 605 00:42:23,320 --> 00:42:27,640 How much time do you have? How much time do we have? 606 00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:32,200 For Daniel? It was just three years, and 607 00:42:32,200 --> 00:42:34,440 then that was the end. The needs of the Persians, 608 00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:37,400 Babylonians would fall. The needs of the Persians would 609 00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:42,120 come for Daniel. The time was short for God's 610 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:45,440 word to be fulfilled. Jesus said let not your heart be 611 00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:48,400 troubled. You believe in God, believe also 612 00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:50,920 in me. For in my Father's house are 613 00:42:50,920 --> 00:42:53,520 many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you, 614 00:42:53,720 --> 00:42:56,200 that where I am, there you may be also. 615 00:42:57,360 --> 00:43:05,280 Jesus said I'm coming again for you and I time is short. 616 00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:08,720 Jesus is coming at at any moment. 617 00:43:08,720 --> 00:43:12,680 And then when the church is raptured, judgement begins. 618 00:43:14,160 --> 00:43:20,320 The Antichrist will come to the stage and the world will bow 619 00:43:20,320 --> 00:43:25,840 before him. And the end for many will be 620 00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:29,880 Daniel took God's word literally. 621 00:43:29,880 --> 00:43:34,800 Do you not like the scoffers? Peter said one of the last days 622 00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:36,880 that we said, well, Jesus has been coming for years. 623 00:43:37,160 --> 00:43:42,520 We've heard nothing's changed. Do you this morning believe in a 624 00:43:42,520 --> 00:43:46,760 literal rapture? Do you believe in a literal 625 00:43:46,760 --> 00:43:51,360 great tribulation? Do you believe in a literal 626 00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:55,160 heaven, a literal hell? You know the people that say 627 00:43:55,160 --> 00:43:57,240 there is no heaven or hell? Let's talk with someone this 628 00:43:57,240 --> 00:43:59,400 morning. You know they say that. 629 00:43:59,600 --> 00:44:01,160 You know why they have to say that? 630 00:44:01,720 --> 00:44:05,560 Because if there is, they're going to find out. 631 00:44:06,720 --> 00:44:09,040 So they have to say, oh, there's no heaven, no hell. 632 00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:12,120 Because they had played safe, it means that they would have had 633 00:44:12,120 --> 00:44:14,080 to repent, they would have had to turn to God. 634 00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:16,400 So they've got to say there's no heaven, no hell. 635 00:44:16,960 --> 00:44:18,840 It's the only way they can go out. 636 00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:22,840 But when they leave this world, they'll stand before God. 637 00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:29,760 Daniel realised that the Word of God would be fulfilled on the 638 00:44:29,760 --> 00:44:33,760 basis of pray, which is why John prayed. 639 00:44:33,760 --> 00:44:39,440 Come quickly, Lord Jesus. We had a prayer night and I 640 00:44:39,440 --> 00:44:42,880 mentioned it to our prayer group the other night, quite a number 641 00:44:42,880 --> 00:44:46,520 of years ago. It was a winter's night and a 642 00:44:46,520 --> 00:44:49,120 group of kids came back. It's about 3:00 and then one kid 643 00:44:49,120 --> 00:44:53,040 stopped out the front riding his bike and I went out to speak to 644 00:44:53,040 --> 00:44:55,800 him and there was a few people in here praying. 645 00:44:56,960 --> 00:44:57,960 He said, what's going on in there? 646 00:44:58,920 --> 00:45:01,760 And I said, Oh, well, there's a church, and we gather on 647 00:45:01,760 --> 00:45:07,760 Wednesdays to pray. You believe in prayer? 648 00:45:07,760 --> 00:45:11,160 I said yes. He says, why aren't there more 649 00:45:11,160 --> 00:45:16,080 people in there praying? And then he wrote off, I've 650 00:45:16,080 --> 00:45:22,800 never forgotten that. You see, it's time to pray. 651 00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:33,240 The God of mercy calls you this morning, but God of mercy seek 652 00:45:33,240 --> 00:45:37,120 me, he says in Jeremiah. And today you'll find me. 653 00:45:37,960 --> 00:45:39,600 I have thoughts of peace for you. 654 00:45:40,040 --> 00:45:43,000 Come and know me. I am the great God of mercy. 655 00:45:43,440 --> 00:45:47,560 If you've not received God's mercy, if you don't know God, 656 00:45:48,680 --> 00:45:52,800 that he is the merciful God, today I want you to bow your 657 00:45:52,800 --> 00:45:54,840 heart. I want you to hear the Holy 658 00:45:54,840 --> 00:45:57,600 Spirit speak to you. And today I want you to 659 00:45:57,600 --> 00:45:59,640 surrender. God wants you to surrender your 660 00:45:59,640 --> 00:46:02,760 heart to a God of mercy and be forgiven. 661 00:46:04,040 --> 00:46:09,360 Be right, be made righteous, even though you don't deserve 662 00:46:09,360 --> 00:46:10,200 it. I don't deserve it. 663 00:46:12,120 --> 00:46:16,600 But the God of mercy invites you today, while there is time, 664 00:46:18,320 --> 00:46:20,040 let's have the worship team come forward. 665 00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:26,880 And as they're playing, if God has spoken to you and you don't 666 00:46:26,880 --> 00:46:32,000 know of the God of mercy, your God is the hard God, the harsh 667 00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:34,840 God that oh man, I don't want to go and pray to him. 668 00:46:34,840 --> 00:46:37,040 Man, I, I haven't been right before him. 669 00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:42,080 God knows that. Well, I've scorned him. 670 00:46:42,080 --> 00:46:43,600 I've not listened. God knows that. 671 00:46:45,400 --> 00:46:51,040 It doesn't change who He is, He is still and always will be the 672 00:46:51,040 --> 00:46:54,320 God of mercy. But the invitation is for you 673 00:46:54,320 --> 00:46:57,640 today to know Him and to be loved by Him.