Daniel 9:1-19 Dare to Repent - Revision history

Wakefien at 22:43, 9 March 2024

2024-03-09T22:43:44Z

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Wakefien: /* Repentance requires us to acknowledge that ultimately our sins are against the God of the universe (7-14). */

2024-03-04T16:03:42Z

‎Repentance requires us to acknowledge that ultimately our sins are against the God of the universe (7-14).

Wakefien: /* Appealing to God is the correct response to sin. */

2024-03-04T15:56:24Z

‎Appealing to God is the correct response to sin.

Wakefien: /* Repentance requires that we acknowledge that ultimately our sins are against the God of the universe (7-14). */

2024-03-04T15:55:30Z

‎Repentance requires that we acknowledge that ultimately our sins are against the God of the universe (7-14).

Wakefien: /* But the reality is that we should also consider corporate confession. */

2024-03-04T15:51:13Z

‎But the reality is that we should also consider corporate confession.

Wakefien: /* But the reality is that we should also consider corporate confession. */

2024-03-04T15:49:07Z

‎But the reality is that we should also consider corporate confession.

Wakefien: /* Image: worn out shoes. */

2024-03-04T15:48:17Z

‎Image: worn out shoes.

Wakefien: /* But the reality is that we should also consider corporate confession.. */

2024-03-04T15:47:53Z

‎But the reality is that we should also consider corporate confession..

Wakefien: /* Image: worn out shoes. */

2024-03-04T15:46:53Z

‎Image: worn out shoes.

Wakefien: /* The Fall of Jerusalem */

2024-03-04T15:42:11Z

‎The Fall of Jerusalem

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:03, 4 March 2024
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−	==Repentance requires us to acknowledge that ultimately our sins are against the God of the universe (7-14).==	+	==Repentance requires us to acknowledge that ultimately our sins ''are'' ''against'' ''the'' ''God'' ''of'' ''the'' ''universe'' (7-14).==
	So often we sin against someone in that we wrong them, offend them, steal from them, or any other of a litany of wrongs against another that we forget ultimately our wrong is against God himself. Daniel begins verse seven with the phrase Yahweh, you are righteous. The problem with sin is that sin is against the righteousness of God. God's righteousness really matters because the contrast with sin is the righteousness of God.		So often we sin against someone in that we wrong them, offend them, steal from them, or any other of a litany of wrongs against another that we forget ultimately our wrong is against God himself. Daniel begins verse seven with the phrase Yahweh, you are righteous. The problem with sin is that sin is against the righteousness of God. God's righteousness really matters because the contrast with sin is the righteousness of God.

@@ Line 144: / Line 144: @@
 Daniel draws attention to two important aspects of an appeal to God. The first aspect is the greatness of God. The appeal is made to God because there is none greater. God is the God of the Exodus who delivered the people of Israel from one of the world's foremost empires with a mighty hand. God's deliverance from Egypt had brought God glory as it displayed his might.  Look at what God states in Exodus 9:15-16
 <blockquote>
-For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16 But I have raised you up[a] for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.<ref>Exodus 9:15-16, NIV.</ref>
+For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.<ref>Exodus 9:15-16, NIV.</ref>
 </blockquote>
 God's power is on display for the world and that power is part of our appeal to God. We appeal to the highest power.
@@ Line 150: / Line 150: @@
 It is also worth noting that the appeal to God is also an admission of sin, an admission of having done wrong. Repentance requires that we admit our sin!
 But we can admit wrong, we can admit sin because God is safe.  C.S. Lewis famously wrote of the lion Aslan, he is not a tame lion, but he is safe. The picture is apt. God is the God of the universe but he is completely safe. Hence,
 ===Calling on the God who mercifully forgives is appropriate.===
 Look closely at verse 16. Daniel appeals to God to be consistent with who God is. Daniel literally asks God to act in a manner that is consistent with his reputation for being merciful. The reality was that the sins of the people had made them objects of scorn. These people who supposedly left Egypt under the great God of the universe had been conquered and relegated to captives. The conclusion of the Exodus was not an eternal kingdom, it was a return to slavery this time to Babylon. Daniel recognizes that sin has brought about these events but also recognizes that God is a consistent God and God's reputation is also on the line here.

@@ Line 112: / Line 112: @@
-==Repentance requires that we acknowledge that ultimately our sins are against the God of the universe (7-14).==
+==Repentance requires us to acknowledge that ultimately our sins are against the God of the universe (7-14).==
 So often we sin against someone in that we wrong them, offend them, steal from them, or any other of a litany of wrongs against another that we forget ultimately our wrong is against God himself. Daniel begins verse seven with the phrase Yahweh, you are righteous. The problem with sin is that sin is against the righteousness of God. God's righteousness really matters because the contrast with sin is the righteousness of God.
 As we look at verse 7 something that really stood out to me was an incredibly important reality. We need to deal with sin because,
 ===When sin is allowed to linger it breeds shame.===
 I want to point something out to you. In our usual way of thinking we would draw contrast between righteousness and guilt or wrong. Here, however, the contrast is between righteousness and shame.
 <blockquote>
@@ Line 126: / Line 125: @@
 ===Because sin is ultimately against God, God has the right to discipline.===
-When we see our main as contrary to the God of the universe we can understand discipline much better.
+When we see our main problem as being contrary to the God of the universe we can understand discipline much better.
 <blockquote>
 God’s discipline did not mean that He had withheld mercy (cf. v. 18) and forgiveness from His people, but it meant that He, being righteous, must punish people’s rebellion and disobedience (v. 10). They refused to keep God’s laws (v. 10; cf. v. 5) for they transgressed His Law (v. 11) and turned from God (cf. v. 5), being obstinate in their disobedience (refusing to obey).<ref>J. Dwight Pentecost, “Daniel,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1360.</ref></blockquote>
@@ Line 133: / Line 132: @@
 ===God's discipline seeks to turn the sinner back to God.===
-Through the prophets God had promised restoration of a people who turned back to God. In fact, even in the Law of Moses God had warned that disobedience would result in discipline. God was seeking to get Israel's attention and discipline was the means.
+Through the prophets God had promised restoration of a people who turned back to God. In fact, even in the Law of Moses, God had warned that disobedience would result in discipline. God was seeking to get Israel's attention and discipline was the means.
 ===Image: Be careful about over application of this passage===
-Theology matters! Israel was God's nation. The United States is not God's nation in the same way that Israel was. God has not chosen us and called us out. Too many pastors have cited events as God's discipline on our country. I cannot say for a fact that it is or is not God's discipline but here is what I do know. As individuals, and as a church, we are God's. God disciplines his own and we should repent for sin. I don't want you to over apply this but I do want you to search your own heart. Maybe you need to confess individually, maybe you need to confess corporately. Don't apply this too broadly and miss the message for yourself personally. Take time to confess.
+Theology matters! Israel was God's nation. The United States is not God's nation in the same way that Israel was. God has not chosen us and called us out. Too many pastors have cited events as God's discipline on our country. I cannot say for a fact that it is or is not God's discipline but here is what I do know. As individuals, and as a church, we are God's. God disciplines his own and we should repent for sin. I don't want you to over-apply this but I do want you to search your own heart. Maybe you need to confess individually, maybe you need to confess corporately. Don't apply this too broadly and miss the message for yourself personally. Take time to confess.
 ===MTR: Search your own heart, are there areas in which God is trying to get your attention?===

@@ Line 96: / Line 96: @@
 ===But the reality is that we should also consider corporate confession.===
+====Confession is more than a laundry list of individual sins.====
 I think the mistake that we often make is the mistake of believing that just because we have confessed our individual sins we are good to go. We treat it like a checklist. God, yesterday I was mean to the dog, sorry, Friday night I was short with my wife, Thursday morning my heart was not in my devotions, and then today I when I burned the toast I thought a curse word.  First, I suggest to you that this laundry list recitation of sins is not confession. Remember, confession involves aligning oneself with God. Hence, confession is more about talking about the heart attitude that sat behind the sins. Second, I think we bear a much larger responsibility in confession. I think we need to widen our sphere of confession to both individual and corporate confession.
-In verse 5 Daniel repeatedly uses the word "we." I don't know that I would describe Daniel as having been personally wicked, as having personally turned away from God's commandments and laws, as having personally ignored the prophets. However, Daniel was human, Daniel was a sinner, Daniel was a part of the people of God, a people who had committed these sins corporately, and Daniel recognized that he was himself a part.
+We together are wicked, rebellious, disobedient, and fail to listen. Let me say it another way,
 ===Wickedness, rebellion, disobedience, and failure to listen rank among the top corporate sins.===

@@ Line 97: / Line 97: @@
 ===But the reality is that we should also consider corporate confession.===
-I think the mistake that we often make is the mistake of believing that just because we have confessed our individual sins we are good to go. We treat it like a checklist. God, yesterday I was mean to the dog, sorry, Friday night I was short with my wife, Thursday morning my heart was not in my devotions, and then today I when I burned the toast I thought a curse word.  First, I suggest to you that this laundry list recitation of sins is not confession. Remember, confession involves aligning oneself with God. Hence, confession is more about talking about the heart attitude that sat behind the sins. Second, think we bear a much larger responsibility in confession. I think we need to widen our sphere of confession to both individual and corporate confession.
+I think the mistake that we often make is the mistake of believing that just because we have confessed our individual sins we are good to go. We treat it like a checklist. God, yesterday I was mean to the dog, sorry, Friday night I was short with my wife, Thursday morning my heart was not in my devotions, and then today I when I burned the toast I thought a curse word.  First, I suggest to you that this laundry list recitation of sins is not confession. Remember, confession involves aligning oneself with God. Hence, confession is more about talking about the heart attitude that sat behind the sins. Second, I think we bear a much larger responsibility in confession. I think we need to widen our sphere of confession to both individual and corporate confession.
 In verse 5 Daniel repeatedly uses the word "we." I don't know that I would describe Daniel as having been personally wicked, as having personally turned away from God's commandments and laws, as having personally ignored the prophets. However, Daniel was human, Daniel was a sinner, Daniel was a part of the people of God, a people who had committed these sins corporately, and Daniel recognized that he was himself a part.

@@ Line 82: / Line 82: @@
 Some of you know that I love running, more of you know I am cheep, and most of you know I am stubborn. For a long time, I had a tendency to over-run my shoes. My feet would begin to be sore and Emily would ask if I needed new shoes. "That cost money," I would reply "and my shoes look fine.: Eventually, she convinced me, I bought new shoes and the difference was incredible. In some sense, this is a lot like how confession of sins works. We carry this burden of sin and the Holy Spirit begins working in our hearts to admit we are carrying this burden. Eventually, we come around to seeing the sin as God sees the sin, we align ourselves with God on the matter and turn the burden over to him. Immediately we have a new hop in our step.
-So why do we need to individually confess our sins? Because when we do so we align ourselves with God in order that we might have the joy, the relief, the life that God intends us to have. We often memorize 1 John 1:9 but let me just read all of 1 John 1:4-9 to you.
+So why do we need to individually confess our sins? Because when we do so we align ourselves with God in order that we might have the joy, the relief, the life that God intends us to have.
 <blockquote>

@@ Line 94: / Line 94: @@
 When we align ourselves with God through confessing sin to God we are living in the fellowship God intends. Individual confession matters because it brings the joy of a life lived as God intends.
-===But the reality is that we should also consider corporate confession..===
+===But the reality is that we should also consider corporate confession.===
 I think the mistake that we often make is the mistake of believing that just because we have confessed our individual sins we are good to go. We treat it like a checklist. God, yesterday I was mean to the dog, sorry, Friday night I was short with my wife, Thursday morning my heart was not in my devotions, and then today I when I burned the toast I thought a curse word.  First, I suggest to you that this laundry list recitation of sins is not confession. Remember, confession involves aligning oneself with God. Hence, confession is more about talking about the heart attitude that sat behind the sins. Second, think we bear a much larger responsibility in confession. I think we need to widen our sphere of confession to both individual and corporate confession.
@@ Line 103: / Line 103: @@
 We together are wicked, rebellious, disobedient and fail to listen. Let me say it another way,
 ===Wickedness, rebellion, disobedience, and failure to listen rank among the top corporate sins.===

@@ Line 80: / Line 80: @@
 ====Image: worn out shoes.====
-Some of you know that I love running, more of you know I am cheep, and most of you know I am stubborn. For a long time I had a tendency to over-run my shoes. My feet would begin to be sore and Emily would ask if I needed new shoes. That cost money I would reply and my shoes look fine. Eventually she convinced me, I bought new shoes and the difference was incredible. In some sense this is a lot like how confession of sins works. We carry this burden of sin and the Holy Spirit begins working in our hearts to admit we are carrying this burden. Eventually, we come around to seeing the sin as God sees the sin, we align ourselves with God on the matter and turn the burden over to him. Immediately we have a new hop in our step.
+Some of you know that I love running, more of you know I am cheep, and most of you know I am stubborn. For a long time, I had a tendency to over-run my shoes. My feet would begin to be sore and Emily would ask if I needed new shoes. "That cost money," I would reply "and my shoes look fine.: Eventually, she convinced me, I bought new shoes and the difference was incredible. In some sense, this is a lot like how confession of sins works. We carry this burden of sin and the Holy Spirit begins working in our hearts to admit we are carrying this burden. Eventually, we come around to seeing the sin as God sees the sin, we align ourselves with God on the matter and turn the burden over to him. Immediately we have a new hop in our step.
 So why do we need to individually confess our sins? Because when we do so we align ourselves with God in order that we might have the joy, the relief, the life that God intends us to have. We often memorize 1 John 1:9 but let me just read all of 1 John 1:4-9 to you.

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 Several factors were at work:
-Political instability: The Kingdom of Judah was politically weak and faced internal strife, making it vulnerable to external aggression.
+*Political instability: The Kingdom of Judah was politically weak and faced internal strife, making it vulnerable to external aggression.
-Disobedience to Babylon: Judah rebelled against Babylonian rule, which led Nebuchadnezzar to besiege Jerusalem in 597 BC and later in 587 BC.
+*Disobedience to Babylon: Judah rebelled against Babylonian rule, which led Nebuchadnezzar to besiege Jerusalem in 597 BC and later in 587 BC.
-Siege warfare: The Babylonian army surrounded Jerusalem, cutting off its food and water supplies, leading to famine and desperation among the inhabitants.
+*Siege warfare: The Babylonian army surrounded Jerusalem, cutting off its food and water supplies, leading to famine and desperation among the inhabitants.
-Destruction of the city: After a lengthy siege, the Babylonian forces breached the walls of Jerusalem, resulting in the destruction of the city and its temple, including Solomon's Temple.
+*Destruction of the city: After a lengthy siege, the Babylonian forces breached the walls of Jerusalem, resulting in the destruction of the city and its temple, including Solomon's Temple.
-Exile of the population: Many of the prominent citizens of Judah were taken into captivity and forced into exile in Babylon, marking the beginning of the Babylonian Exile, which lasted for several decades.
+*Exile of the population: Many of the prominent citizens of Judah were taken into captivity and forced into exile in Babylon, marking the beginning of the Babylonian Exile, which lasted for several decades.
-The reality underneath the visible reality was that God was at work.
+The reality underneath the visible problems the reality was that God was at work.
 ====The problems====
 At the beginning of Israel's history Moses had revealed the principle under which God intended to work with Israel
@@ Line 45: / Line 45: @@
 Let's read
 ===Daniel 9:1-3.===
 <blockquote>