God’s People and Prayer - Part 1

You doing tonight is your prayer sound like a wish list of things that you are going to give you what you do for single sin with a contrite heart Turning Point of the Jeremiah continues his look at Daniels. That explains why confession while painful is vital to your spiritual growth from the handwriting on the wall is the message God's people and pray what I told you that the ninth chapter of the book of Daniel, was a critical study for all of us and take another deep dive into this chapter and then discover some more about what God has in store for us in the future, and especially what God had in store for Daniel.

Looking forward, this is one of the great long-distance looks at the future, some of which can be verified by history, because the prophecies were made early in history records their fulfillment. We want you to get into this chapter. This is life-changing. This is one of the great chapters of the Bible. Well, we want to get started with today's lesson from Daniel chapter 9. This lesson sort of encompasses the first 19 verses of the ninth chapter right now. One of my good friends sent to me in the mail. A surefire way of getting from God, whatever you need.

It is a sheet of paper that is sent out from a very well-known evangelist that has on it. His hand print all you need to do is get up next to it and good things start happening and if they don't send it in with a large offering and he'll send you another Xerox copy almost overwhelming to think that someone could get by with that in our culture today among people who supposedly are thinking but it's only an indication of some of the craziness that goes on in the name of religion as people try to market God for their own profit. Fact of the matter is, however, that God does have a plan whereby we can get in on what God is doing. It doesn't involve any sacred handprints, but it does have a great deal to do with the book we hold in our hands. We call it the word of God and it's God's divine plan for getting in on what God is doing is we began to study the prayer of Daniel we learn that this great chapter is first of all, the chapter on prayer.

If I were to say to you, what is the importance of the ninth chapter of Daniel. Most often we would say why it contains Daniels great prophecy of the 70 weeks. Perhaps the most miraculous prophecy contained in the Old Testament, but I want to say to you that before you ever get to that prophecy you have to walk through the garden of prayer with Daniel and we been doing that and it's a thrilling thing to understand that this prayer has been recorded for our learning and admonition I was reading the words of JC Ryle the 19th century Bishop of Liverpool who said I have read the lives of many eminent Christians who have been on earth since the Bible days some of them I see were rich and some poor, some were learned and some were unloaded, some of them were Episcopalians and some Christians of other denominations. Some were Calvinists and some were Arminian, some have loved to use the liturgy and some have chosen to use none but when I see them blessed of God.

I see them all in common in that they have been men of prayer that is a startling statement that drives us again back to the truth of this chapter 4 we see here that this man of God that we have come to love over these past weeks was given to us so many rich things in the book we call Daniel was himself a man of prayer. He was a man whose prayer life and body in his very life and this extended prayer from Daniel's prayer closet has been given to us of God, that we might learn the principles of prayer, even from the Old Testament, we began to study this chapter and we learned that there are some vital principles of life-changing prayer that are embodied in this prayer itself. We talked about the fact that Daniel's prayer is not for us so much an expectation to pray as it is an example of prayer. It is not instruction so much as it is illustration, but as we read the prayer and as we study it, we see the principles of prayer as they just move right out of the text into our own hearts. First of all, we discovered that life-changing prayer is motivated by the word of God. In verses one and two, we discovered that Daniel had been reading in his devotions the books of Jeremiah and as he read Jeremiah's prophecy.

He read concerning the consummation of the 70 years, and as he read that prophecy he was motivated to pray and he began to pray that God would do what Jeremiah prophesied he would do in the end of time. When the 70 years of his people were accomplished.

Prayer is motivated by the word of God as we read God's word were motivated to pray.

We learned also that prayer is measured by the will of God. When Daniel found out what God was doing. He went to God in prayer and he said according to verse 19 oh Lord, do what you're doing and don't not do it. Daniel wanted to get in on what God was doing and he saw the will of God. And when he found God's will, he prayed that God would do his will, Richard Baxter, the great Puritan used to preach as a dying man to dying man because he was never sure to preach again in his diary. He wrote that the secret to his life was summarized in this statement. Lord, what thou wilt and where thou wilt, and when thou will that's it. Lord, whatever you want to do wherever you want to do it and whenever you want to do it. Richard Baxter found out that the secretive holy living was to find out what the will of God was and to live every day in the center of that will, we also learned that true prayer, life-changing prayer is not only motivated by the word of God and measured by the will of God. But it is manifested in our walk before God. Daniel and his lifestyle in his personal walk with God was marked by two characteristics. First of all, the frequency was praying we learned in chapter 6 that three times every day.

Daniel bowed his knee before God. But we added to that the fervency was praying. We talked about the fact that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avail with much.

As you read the prayer of Daniel, you discover that it was praying with sackcloth and ashes accompanied by fasting and the fervency of it is everywhere evident as we read it in the ninth chapter, we had to those three principles to more number four life-changing prayer is mandated by our wickedness before God. As we read this prayer we are astounded to discover that Daniel is very conscious of the wickedness of his people.

If you come to the fifth verse you will see him confessing the sin of his people before God, he said, Lord, we have sinned, we have committed iniquity we have done wickedly. We have rebelled. We have departed from thy precepts and from nine ordinances in the fifth verse, Daniel uses four separate Hebrew terms for sin, we sin, which means to miss the mark. We have committed iniquity, which means to distort or act perversely. We have done wickedly, which means premeditated evil. We have rebelled, which means to defy authority as you read on in his prayer.

You come to the six verse and you discover that Daniel admits that they have not hearkened unto God's spokesman, neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets who spoke in my name to our kings, our princes and our fathers and all the people of the land he says in verses seven and eight, oh Lord, righteousness, belong, abundantly, but unto us confusion of face all Lord. Verse eight to us belong of confusion of face.

The term confusion of faith means to be shamefacedly to be ashamed before God. Daniel's is Lord, when we stand in your presence where Shane verse 10 he adds to that we have refused to obey the voice of our Lord in verse 11.

Daniel says yay all Israel has transgressed by law, even by departing that they might not obey thy voice. Therefore the curses poured out upon us and be all that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God because we have sinned against him. Notice the end of verse 15 we have sin we have done wickedly. Daniel is very conscious of the sin of his people in the presence of God and he comes in his prayer to confess his sin, and confess the sin of his people, and I want you to notice that this confession is Daniel's admitting to God that his judgment upon Israel for 70 years was a just judgment using Lord, what is happened to us as a nation. What has taken place as we have been transported into babbling and we have been taken away from our city and our city is been laid ruins Lord we deserve that for sinful people in the New Testament the word confession means to agree with God concerning his opinion about a matter it means to admit my guilt when we confess our sins, we are agreeing with God concerning the sin in our lives as revealed through his word, by the Holy Spirit when we confess we verbalize our spiritual shortcomings, and we admit that we have sinned. Simply stated, confession is a act of declared admission. Have you noticed how we avoid that how hard it is for us to get into that Lord haven't done too well today. What was that you said will Lord I don't think I really measured up. Would you come again.

Lord, I know what your word says and I know what I've done.

Somehow there's a big gap between the two. Would you try again. Lord, I don't how to tell you this but I really blew it. What you mean, you blew it. Lord, I have sinned all you have sinned, you find that hard to do in your own prayer life to really come to grips with what you have done and to name what you have done and to call it what God calls it, there is a tremendous amount of pain in confession. Have you noticed that I try to understand why I think I have some clues. Perhaps confession is painful because when we confess we recognize that we have a responsibility to change what it is we've told God that were doing when we come to God and say Lord we have sinned, by doing such and such implicit in the confession is that were not going to do it anymore.

And isn't it tremendous to watch us as we try to hang on for the dying breath of every pet sandwich in our life we want to confess it, because if we really truly confess it would have to give it up. We have to turn from it you Blake Locke, who has written a great deal about private is very helpful said the period of our devotions must contain a moment of pain. It is not God's intention that we should rise under it or linger in it, but specific and sincere confession of our own sin is no joyous exercise. Believe me I understand what he's talking about now. If you don't comprehend what I'm saying you who are married just stay with me for a moment the hardest words to say if your married person. Are these honey I was wrong and I don't know if you know how hard we work to get away from that, but it's unbelievable. It's almost the same syndrome that happens when you're traveling down the highway with your wife and she tells you that you should've turned say no no no no you don't turn their mean everybody knows you don't turn their you keep on going and all of a sudden in your heart you begin to realize that you should've turned their you know how far man will drive to keep his wife from knowing that she was right. I mean it would be very simple just to pull over to the side of the road and say honey, I was wrong. Oh how we hate to do that and you know if we understand that in terms of our own personal relationships than we can understand why it is so hard for us to come to God and say God I was wrong and I confess my sin.

And I ask you to forgive me know when Daniel comes to confess his sins to God. It's the most amazing fact turned back in your Bibles to chapter 6, I want you to notice in the fourth verse of the sixth chapter.

What we learn about Daniel and his life. When the presidents and the princes of Babylon sought to find a grievance against Daniel. The Scripture says that they sought to find occasion against him concerning the kingdom, but they could find no occasion nor fault, forasmuch as he was faithful. Neither was there any error or all found in him.

Daniel is man in the Old Testament as we learn about whom no evil word is written and yet in the ninth chapter we see Daniel crying out to God in confession and he is saying God we have sinned, and I want you to notice that in his prayer, he uses the plural pronoun identifying himself with the sin of his people read down through the ninth chapter, just briefly and notice how this is true verse five we have sinned. Verse six.

Neither have we hearken unto thy servants verse seven but unto us confusion of face. Verse 80 Lord, to us belong of confusion and to our kings and our princes and our fathers, verse nine. Though we have rebelled against him, verse 10, neither have we obeyed the voice of God.

What is Daniel saying Daniel is saying that in the sin of the Jewish people. He has participated. He is a part of their sin. One of the great dynamic lessons of Old Testament praying that ought to be emulated today. I personally believe in the church is the fact that the Old Testament prophets always identified themselves with the sin of their people.

When Nehemiah came to beg permission to bring the people back and restore the walls of the city. He bowed his knee before God and he began to pray.

He was hundreds of miles from his people, and yet he prayed all God we have sinned, read his prayer. Nehemiah when Ezra prayed, he prayed all God we have sin, and in the prayer of Daniel. He teaches us that we never sin in isolation that when there is sin in the body. It affects the whole body. Daniel cries out to God for the sin of his people as if he had personally been involved because he has identified himself with their sin and we learn in the New Testament, especially in first Corinthians that we are one body and that we all participate with one another and when one of us hurts. We all hurt when one of us rejoice as we all rejoice. I wonder what would happen if we as pastors would stand in the pulpit on Sunday when there is no sin in the church and we would pray all God we have committed adultery. Oh God, we have committed fornication of God. We have been dishonest all God we have withheld from be that which rightfully belongs to the one of the things that I have learned is pastor is that we are never ever write when we get into and I that our relationship with our congregation. Let me explain what I mean, there's a difference between sharing in the teaching of the Word of God and being preached at a preacher who preaches that you says you don't watch out, this is what's going to happen to you and you better get your life straightened out. If you don't, you're going to fall in the biblical style. As I understand it, is that the preacher does not set himself apart from the temptations and the sin and the difficulty that is rampant in the church.

There is not anything that you are capable of doing that I'm not capable of doing and if I understand the biblical frame of reference for preaching. I am always to identify myself in the preaching of the word of God to the body to the church. We are in this together and not one of us can sin without affecting the other.

If you're involved in sin in your life you may think nobody knows about it and it's not a problem to anybody else but I want to tell you something God says it affects the whole body.

It touches every person in this church.

And until we can get, as Daniel had a sense of corporate tilting maps before God. We will never have holiness within the church is God wants us to have.

There is no pride in Daniel's prayer. There is only humility. In verse 20.

Daniel says, and while I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people. Are you saying pastor, the Daniel had no sin, no I have never said that I have said that there is no sin recorded of him but obviously he was a sinner but he was also a very righteous man, a very holy man, a man who walked with God's righteousness would probably in comparison to our holiness today be a cut above the average. Why then would he confess his sin here again is a principal that we need to learn when God is at work in our lives.

Repentance and confession becomes the norm. It's been a long time since you brought any sin before God. It isn't because you haven't sin, it's because you're so insensitive to sin, that it hasn't touched your life the more devout your soul is the deeper your love for God. The higher your standard of holiness, the truer your commitment to Christ, the greater will be your sense of sinfulness when Isaiah saw the Lord high and holy and lifted up. He said I am a man of unclean lips whenever you find yourself a stranger in confession, you are far removed from God. Someone once told me that's the meaning of the church steeple. I don't know if that's true or not but at least it's a good illustration. The church steeple teaches us. The closer you get to God the smaller you are when you see God in his holiness, you begin to recognize the sin in your own life and that is the reason why Daniel calls out to God in confession of sin, not because he is such a great sinner, but because he is walking with God and fellowship with God and in his close fellowship with God. Even the incidental sins of his own life are magnified in his own mind until he cannot stand the many calls out the God principle number five is this life-changing prayer is magnified in our worship of God that when we come to the end of this prayer. We have moved through these stages. Daniel reads the word of God is motivated to pray, he discovers the will of God, and he prays God's will. He prays fervently and frequently he confesses the sin of his people because he doesn't want that sin to get in the way of God doing what he promised to do. And now he comes at last to the pinnacle of the prayer and he brings his praise and worship and adoration to God, knowing the New Testament when Mary received the word that she would give birth to the son of God, divine worship just exploded from her lips and what we call the magnificent and she cried out, my soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior in the New Testament. When we read the prayer that is supposed to be the model prayer. We are taught that at the beginning of the prayer we are to worship our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name and at the ending of the prayer we are to worship.

For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. The ultimate purpose of all of our praying is to worship God. That is the result of all true, praying that we come at last to God to worship and magnify you will have more of this, but it will have to wait until after the weekend. That's right, coming up on the weekend right now and I want to encourage you if you haven't already made plans to do so to get to church this weekend, cheerleader for church. I want you to know that because that's where God does some of his best work in our hearts think I can prove that very conclusively if you give me the opportunity shall be in church be an encouragement to someone. Don't just go and receive going to be a part of what goes on in your assembly. Help your pastor jump in where you're needed make a difference. The church right now needs every every hand on board as we move through some of these challenging days, so make sure this weekend is church weekend for you.

Also remember Turning Points on television over the weekend if it's on during a time when you should be in church just DVR and watch it later, but most of you can watch it at some time that is not normally church time it's there for you. It's there to encourage you and I hope that you take advantage of it this weekend and will see you next time) on Monday came to you from Sugar Mountain community church with Dr. David Jeremiah serves as the apostle does not have tuning point is touching your life. Please write to us a Turning Point PO Box 38, San Diego, CA 92163 visit our website. Jeremiah got all/writing your copy of the mere test bodies for providing the last and Israeli inside a look at the end time. Pray for his room was predictive and human purchases.

Jeremiah study Bible standard vision and new international version as well as the standard (you and your choice of attractive go to David Jeremiah total/ready in the fun Gary who could join us Monday as we continue the handwriting on the Turning Point for taking time to listen to on tonight-please. Interestingly