1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,980 Thank you. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:59,980 Thank you. 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:29,980 Thank you. 4 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:06,600 When all I see is the battle, you see my victory. 5 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:18,860 When all I see is the mountain, you see a mountain moved. 6 00:05:18,860 --> 00:05:27,600 And as I walk through this shadow, your love surrounds me. 7 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:39,200 There's nothing to fear now, for I am safe with you. 8 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:50,120 So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees, with my hands lifted high. 9 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:59,060 Oh God, the battle belongs to you, and every fear I lay at your feet, 10 00:05:59,500 --> 00:06:02,040 I'll sing through the night 11 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:07,000 Oh God, the battle belongs to you 12 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:15,560 And if you are for me 13 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:18,880 Who can be against me? 14 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:28,800 For Jesus there's nothing impossible 15 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:58,780 For more information, visit www.fema.org 16 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:05,800 With my hands lifted high, oh God, the battle belongs to You. 17 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:12,800 And every fear I lay at Your feet, I'll sing through the night. 18 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:17,800 Oh God, the battle belongs to You. 19 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:27,800 Almighty Fortress, You go before us. 20 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:32,780 Nothing can stand against the power of our God. 21 00:07:32,780 --> 00:07:35,840 You shine in the shadow. 22 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:38,780 You win every battle. 23 00:07:38,780 --> 00:07:44,660 Nothing can stand against the power of our God. 24 00:07:44,660 --> 00:07:50,840 Almighty fortress, you go before us. 25 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:56,200 Nothing can stand against the power of our God. 26 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:59,260 You shine in the shadow. 27 00:07:59,260 --> 00:08:02,220 You win every battle. 28 00:08:02,220 --> 00:08:08,620 Nothing can stand against the power of our God. 29 00:08:08,620 --> 00:08:19,480 So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees with my hands lifted high. 30 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:23,860 Oh God, the battle belongs to you. 31 00:08:24,220 --> 00:08:31,160 In every field I lay at your feet, I'll sing through the night. 32 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:35,640 Oh God, the battle belongs to you. 33 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:41,460 Oh God, the battle belongs to you. 34 00:08:54,220 --> 00:09:23,820 Is that better? 35 00:09:24,220 --> 00:09:31,800 it's part of a two-part, and the first contrast is that of those who have sought their own trust 36 00:09:31,800 --> 00:09:38,580 and sought their own way. And the prophet Jeremiah, as he speaks God's words, God doesn't pull any 37 00:09:38,580 --> 00:09:45,660 punches with what he says. He says, cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, 38 00:09:45,660 --> 00:09:49,120 whose heart turns away from the Lord. 39 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:52,780 And as we come into this time of worship, 40 00:09:52,780 --> 00:09:59,540 we want to take just a moment and remind ourselves of where our trust truly is. 41 00:09:59,540 --> 00:10:02,640 It's not in the strength of man, whether that's our strength 42 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:07,600 or in the hope in another person to solve our problems 43 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:11,040 or to fix all of our brokenness. 44 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:12,700 Our hope is in the Lord. 45 00:10:12,700 --> 00:10:14,520 And we hear this assurance. 46 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:19,840 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is not just in the Lord, 47 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:23,260 but notice this, whose trust is the Lord. 48 00:10:23,260 --> 00:10:29,860 And in Christ, our wandering hearts are forgiven, and we are made secure. 49 00:10:29,860 --> 00:10:32,340 And so we're going to sing an old song, 50 00:10:32,340 --> 00:10:35,980 Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, but I think it's an appropriate song 51 00:10:35,980 --> 00:10:40,300 for a moment of repenting where our hearts have gone astray, 52 00:10:40,300 --> 00:10:43,920 but also a song of assurance for God's forgiveness. 53 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,340 So we're going to sing, come thou fount of every blessing. 54 00:11:14,080 --> 00:11:32,440 Every blessing to my heart to see the great streams of mercy never ceasing call for songs of loudest praise. 55 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:42,800 Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above. 56 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:52,800 Praise the mountain fixed upon him, mount of thy redeeming love. 57 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:12,740 Here I raise my Ebenezer, here by the great help I've come. 58 00:12:12,740 --> 00:12:22,960 And I hope of Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home. 59 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:28,740 Jesus saw me when a stranger 60 00:12:28,740 --> 00:12:33,740 Wandering from the fold of God 61 00:12:33,740 --> 00:12:39,040 He to rescue me from danger 62 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:43,440 Interposed his precious blood 63 00:12:52,960 --> 00:13:00,060 Oh, to grace how great a debtor 64 00:13:00,060 --> 00:13:04,460 To be unconstrained to be 65 00:13:04,460 --> 00:13:10,340 Let thy goodness like a feather 66 00:13:10,340 --> 00:13:15,460 By my wandering heart to thee 67 00:13:15,460 --> 00:13:20,840 Prove to wonder what I'm feeling 68 00:13:20,840 --> 00:13:35,580 He's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above. 69 00:13:50,840 --> 00:14:11,220 It's so good, I almost can't believe 70 00:14:11,220 --> 00:14:18,020 Far beyond what hearts could ever dream 71 00:14:18,020 --> 00:14:24,760 The God who set the galaxies in motion 72 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:31,400 Would descend to give His life for me 73 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:37,760 For what could make perfection bleed for sinners 74 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:44,260 What leads a king to pay so great a cost 75 00:14:44,260 --> 00:14:50,840 All my life, my heart will sing the answer 76 00:14:50,840 --> 00:14:57,380 Only the love of God 77 00:14:57,380 --> 00:15:05,200 Singing, oh how great is the love of God 78 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:11,620 He paid our debt on that rugged cross 79 00:15:11,620 --> 00:15:18,160 For all our days we will sing our Savior's praise 80 00:15:18,160 --> 00:15:23,080 How great is the love of God 81 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:32,860 It's so kind, it leads us to repentance 82 00:15:32,860 --> 00:15:39,000 It's so bright, the darkness has to flee 83 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:46,320 Hallelujah, it cleared my guilty sentence 84 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:52,660 For I was bound, but now I stand redeemed 85 00:15:52,660 --> 00:15:58,860 For what could break the chains of any prison 86 00:15:58,860 --> 00:16:05,200 What force could rob the power from the grave 87 00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:12,340 What would trade my racks for heaven's riches 88 00:16:12,340 --> 00:16:18,760 Only the love of God 89 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:26,220 Singing oh how great is the love of God 90 00:16:26,220 --> 00:16:32,720 He paid our debt on that rugged cross 91 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:39,180 For all our days we will sing our Savior's praise 92 00:16:39,180 --> 00:16:44,520 How great is the love of God 93 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:54,200 Though I try, my mind can't comprehend it 94 00:16:54,200 --> 00:17:00,500 It's so high, too marvelous for words 95 00:17:00,500 --> 00:17:07,160 I could sing a million songs about it 96 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:13,680 And barely scratch the surface of your world 97 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:19,900 This all my life, the better I'll be waving 98 00:17:19,900 --> 00:17:26,280 My anthem cry, no matter what may come 99 00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:33,180 And when I rise to walk the streets of heaven 100 00:17:33,180 --> 00:17:39,200 I'll still be singing this song 101 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:47,340 For everything that you've done 102 00:17:47,340 --> 00:17:52,620 How great the love of God 103 00:17:56,280 --> 00:18:03,480 Singing, oh how great is the love of God 104 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:10,000 He paid our debt on that rugged cross 105 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:16,680 For all our days we will sing our Savior's praise 106 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:26,520 How great is the love of God 107 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:32,800 How great is the love of God 108 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:49,520 Daniel chapter 8, we encounter in the first five verses two great beasts. 109 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:56,180 One of them, as a ram, Daniel will say, as he describes it, 110 00:18:56,180 --> 00:19:02,480 no beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. 111 00:19:02,480 --> 00:19:05,800 And the picture there, as we'll see a little bit later, 112 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:11,120 is the picture of the Medes and Persians and their empire that was great. 113 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:16,680 And everything they came across, they conquered, often with great cruelty. 114 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:23,580 But then in verse 5 of Daniel 8, we meet another great beast. 115 00:19:23,580 --> 00:19:29,340 And this great beast casts down the first one and tramples upon it. 116 00:19:29,340 --> 00:19:34,940 And it says this, there was none who could rescue the ram from his power. 117 00:19:36,140 --> 00:19:40,680 And there is this picture as it begins of these two ungodly governments 118 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:44,880 that stand so great and so strong, 119 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,720 and they trample all that's in front of them, 120 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:49,960 one becoming greater than the other. 121 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:54,340 And the picture that Daniel chapter 8 begins with 122 00:19:54,340 --> 00:19:59,060 is oftentimes sort of a very dark and hopeless and fearful picture, 123 00:19:59,060 --> 00:20:01,120 especially for God's people. 124 00:20:01,120 --> 00:20:06,120 As these governments go on later in the chapter to oppress and to kill, 125 00:20:06,140 --> 00:20:10,600 and to bring great trouble and tribulation to God's saints. 126 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:16,460 But we also have a different beast to deal with. 127 00:20:16,460 --> 00:20:21,200 Not necessarily a political one or one of man's making, 128 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:25,700 but the beast of our sin and our brokenness. 129 00:20:25,700 --> 00:20:30,500 Just like these beasts in Daniel chapter 8 we'll find in verse 25, 130 00:20:30,500 --> 00:20:33,620 are broken but by no human hand. 131 00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:49,300 The monster of our sin, the fear of death, the threat of hell is removed not by our strength, but once again by no human hand. 132 00:20:49,300 --> 00:20:57,500 You see, our salvation is accomplished not by our goodness or greatness, but by this sovereign hand of God. 133 00:20:57,500 --> 00:21:03,460 And at the cross, Jesus stands in our place and is broken for us. 134 00:21:05,360 --> 00:21:08,780 As he stands in our place, I want to read Isaiah 53. 135 00:21:08,780 --> 00:21:12,600 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, 136 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:16,360 yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. 137 00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:20,980 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. 138 00:21:20,980 --> 00:21:24,320 Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, 139 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:26,560 and with his wounds we are healed. 140 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:32,180 All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way, 141 00:21:32,220 --> 00:21:35,500 and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 142 00:21:35,500 --> 00:21:41,780 And through the broken body and shed blood of Jesus, the Son of God, 143 00:21:41,780 --> 00:21:45,800 God accomplished what no human hand could do, 144 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:49,200 and he reconciles us to himself. 145 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:54,580 Father in heaven, as we gather at this table 146 00:21:54,580 --> 00:22:00,660 from many different places and many different circumstances 147 00:22:00,660 --> 00:22:09,040 and situations. May you turn our hearts to you. May you help us to turn from our sin. May you help 148 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:16,760 us and strengthen us to walk in righteousness. May you encourage our weary souls that your saints 149 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:25,060 would take fresh courage, knowing that the clouds that so often we look ahead and see and fear 150 00:22:25,060 --> 00:22:27,660 are filled with your mercy. 151 00:22:27,660 --> 00:22:31,840 So may you refresh us with your grace 152 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:33,840 and may you strengthen us with your spirit. 153 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:36,780 We ask that you bless this bread and this cup 154 00:22:36,780 --> 00:22:40,140 and may we proclaim your son until he comes again. 155 00:22:40,140 --> 00:22:41,780 It's in his name we pray, amen. 156 00:22:41,780 --> 00:22:45,420 If you would take the bread, as Jesus said, 157 00:22:45,420 --> 00:22:47,000 this is my body, which is for you. 158 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:48,400 Do this in remembrance of me. 159 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:55,040 If you would take the cup, as Jesus said, 160 00:22:55,060 --> 00:22:59,700 this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this in remembrance of me. 161 00:22:59,700 --> 00:23:09,600 Father, we thank you for doing what we never could. We thank you that you have saved us by 162 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:15,000 your power and through your grace, by the sacrifice of your son, that you have equipped us 163 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:22,920 with your spirit. Strengthen our trust in you. May we stand firm upon the foundation that is 164 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:29,360 your goodness and sovereignty. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. So at this point, our children may 165 00:23:29,360 --> 00:23:35,640 be dismissed for Children's Church. We want you to know and to trust the Lord and know that he reigns 166 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:41,840 over all things. And to sort of help us with that, we're going to move into our time of prayer, 167 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:46,600 which is a very clear expression of our trust in God. 168 00:23:52,920 --> 00:24:22,900 Thank you. 169 00:24:22,920 --> 00:24:52,900 Thank you. 170 00:24:52,920 --> 00:25:22,900 Thank you. 171 00:39:52,920 --> 00:40:15,620 Daniel chapter 8, we're going to just take a moment and sing two verses of Build My Life. 172 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:52,900 Thank you. 173 00:40:52,920 --> 00:41:02,820 Jesus, the name above every other name 174 00:41:02,820 --> 00:41:09,500 Jesus, the only one who could ever say 175 00:41:09,500 --> 00:41:15,600 Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe 176 00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:17,340 We live for you 177 00:41:17,340 --> 00:41:20,920 Oh, we live for you 178 00:41:20,920 --> 00:41:27,940 Holy, there is no one like you 179 00:41:27,940 --> 00:41:31,300 There is none beside you 180 00:41:31,300 --> 00:41:35,960 Open up my eyes in wonder 181 00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:39,580 And show me who you are 182 00:41:39,580 --> 00:41:42,880 And fill me with your heart 183 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:49,760 And lead me in your love to those around me 184 00:41:49,760 --> 00:41:53,440 Worthy of every song 185 00:41:53,440 --> 00:41:55,320 We could ever sing 186 00:41:55,320 --> 00:42:00,040 Worthy of all the praise 187 00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:01,880 We could ever bring 188 00:42:01,880 --> 00:42:06,600 Worthy of every breath 189 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:08,140 We could ever bring 190 00:42:08,140 --> 00:42:10,420 We live for you 191 00:42:10,420 --> 00:42:21,960 Jesus, the name above every other name 192 00:42:21,960 --> 00:42:28,520 Jesus, the only one who could ever save 193 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:34,660 Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe 194 00:42:34,660 --> 00:42:36,520 We live for you 195 00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:40,060 Oh, we live for you 196 00:42:40,060 --> 00:42:47,020 Holy, there is no one like you 197 00:42:47,020 --> 00:42:50,320 There is none beside you 198 00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:54,940 Open up my eyes in wonder 199 00:42:54,940 --> 00:42:58,580 And show me who you are 200 00:42:58,580 --> 00:43:01,880 And fill me with your heart 201 00:43:01,880 --> 00:43:08,860 And lead me in your love to those around me 202 00:43:08,860 --> 00:43:17,880 All right, let's go to God in prayer. 203 00:43:17,880 --> 00:43:22,620 Father in heaven, we thank you for your word, 204 00:43:22,620 --> 00:43:26,080 and we thank you for this vision that you have given to Daniel. 205 00:43:26,080 --> 00:43:30,300 We ask is that we look through this this morning, 206 00:43:30,300 --> 00:43:34,000 that you would encourage us, that you would strengthen us, 207 00:43:34,060 --> 00:43:41,240 that you would see that our hope is not found in any human hands, but in your hand alone. 208 00:43:41,240 --> 00:43:47,640 That your sovereignty would both confront our pride and comfort our struggling hearts. 209 00:43:47,640 --> 00:43:51,200 So we just ask that you'd be with us and encourage us this morning. 210 00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:53,480 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 211 00:43:53,480 --> 00:44:01,040 So as we begin this morning, I was thinking a little bit about how it used to be when we would travel 212 00:44:01,040 --> 00:44:08,000 when our kids were much younger. And it seemed like traveling got a whole lot more complicated 213 00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:13,080 as soon as we had children. Instead of just a bag for me and a bag for Rachel, we had to have 214 00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:17,880 a bag for each of the kids. And you had to have a diaper bag for the youngest kid. You had to make 215 00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:22,600 sure that you had car seats for everybody. In addition to car seats, you had to have strollers 216 00:44:22,600 --> 00:44:27,720 if you're staying overnight. You had to have pack and play. And it was at that moment, for me at 217 00:44:27,720 --> 00:44:32,940 least, when a minivan began to make a lot of sense, right? We went from the little car to 218 00:44:32,940 --> 00:44:40,200 the minivan just simply because we had to bring so many things with us. And I think as we come to 219 00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:46,300 Daniel chapter 8, it might feel a little bit like there's a whole lot of baggage with us this morning. 220 00:44:46,300 --> 00:44:54,320 Almost immediately, this chapter begins to be confusing. And we may struggle with the writing 221 00:44:54,320 --> 00:45:02,380 itself. It is a vision that Daniel has from God. It's both prophecy, but it's written in the genre 222 00:45:02,380 --> 00:45:09,420 of what is called apocalyptic literature. And that word apocalyptic or apocalypses, it means 223 00:45:09,420 --> 00:45:14,400 to sort of reveal. And so God is revealing something, but it often does so through these 224 00:45:14,400 --> 00:45:21,740 symbols that we may be unfamiliar with. And so almost immediately as we begin to dive in, 225 00:45:21,820 --> 00:45:27,200 we begin to struggle, not just with the genre of the writing, but with the symbolism as well. 226 00:45:27,200 --> 00:45:33,620 And so this chapter opens up with a ram, and it has two great horns, but one horn is a little 227 00:45:33,620 --> 00:45:39,300 bigger than the other horn, and it's charging around to the north, to the south, and to the 228 00:45:39,300 --> 00:45:47,780 west, and it is seemingly invincible. And it is very proud about that fact. And in verse 5, 229 00:45:47,820 --> 00:45:56,060 the goat arrives, and he comes with one horn from the west. And Daniel 8, 5 says that his feet don't 230 00:45:56,060 --> 00:46:05,040 touch the ground. What that means is incredible amounts of speed. And this goat with one horn 231 00:46:05,040 --> 00:46:12,700 confronts the ram with two horns and defeats the one who we just heard cannot be defeated. 232 00:46:13,360 --> 00:46:16,060 And the goat grows very, very great. 233 00:46:16,060 --> 00:46:21,080 Its horn is broken, and then four horns grow up north, south, east, and west. 234 00:46:21,080 --> 00:46:26,320 And then we zoom in a little more on one little horn in verse 9. 235 00:46:26,320 --> 00:46:30,400 So not only do we struggle with the genre and the way this is written, 236 00:46:30,400 --> 00:46:32,340 we struggle with some of this symbolism. 237 00:46:32,340 --> 00:46:35,940 And then oftentimes we struggle with the interpretation. 238 00:46:35,940 --> 00:46:39,540 Hearing this vision, it's a bit terrifying, 239 00:46:40,060 --> 00:46:45,240 And it likely symbolizes some pretty terrifying events. 240 00:46:45,240 --> 00:46:49,260 And as the interpretation of this unfolds, 241 00:46:49,260 --> 00:46:52,380 that instinct that this is not good news, 242 00:46:52,380 --> 00:46:57,000 that there's a ram and a goat and there's this conflict and it's speedy 243 00:46:57,000 --> 00:46:59,860 and it's from the north and the south and the east and the west 244 00:46:59,860 --> 00:47:03,220 and it comes with such great power and might, 245 00:47:04,080 --> 00:47:10,340 we find that it is, in fact, picturing some pretty terrible things. 246 00:47:10,340 --> 00:47:13,840 And so we struggle, maybe not necessarily with understanding, 247 00:47:13,840 --> 00:47:16,180 although that's certainly true in some cases, 248 00:47:16,180 --> 00:47:21,880 but we struggle with the fact that we don't like to hear difficult or hard things. 249 00:47:21,880 --> 00:47:26,820 We also come, and we struggle with texts like this, 250 00:47:26,820 --> 00:47:30,080 because of the distance that we are from this prophecy. 251 00:47:30,460 --> 00:47:36,320 In this time, we know from history that this time that Daniel begins chapter 8 with 252 00:47:36,320 --> 00:47:43,560 is somewhere between 554 and 553 years before Jesus is born. 253 00:47:43,560 --> 00:47:50,180 We'll see some of this fulfillment happening very soon in the life of Daniel, others, the little horn. 254 00:47:50,180 --> 00:47:54,340 We'll see maybe about 160 years before Jesus. 255 00:47:54,340 --> 00:47:59,920 We might struggle with the culture or the religious practices of the day. 256 00:48:00,060 --> 00:48:05,560 There are the numbers in verse 14 of 2,300 evenings and mornings. 257 00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:09,340 And so we come to this text with some baggage, 258 00:48:09,340 --> 00:48:12,720 and the first baggage might be the obstacle of understanding. 259 00:48:12,720 --> 00:48:16,140 We might hear these words and say to ourselves, 260 00:48:16,140 --> 00:48:21,240 there's so much that I don't understand, I don't know if I can, 261 00:48:21,240 --> 00:48:24,140 or maybe some of us go, I just don't even know if I want to. 262 00:48:24,140 --> 00:48:28,520 And this sort of brings us to our second piece of baggage this morning. 263 00:48:28,880 --> 00:48:34,400 even if I can understand it, how does this text impact me? 264 00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:39,560 It happens a long time ago in a country far, far away 265 00:48:39,560 --> 00:48:44,760 that's not just separated by time and distance, but it's separated by culture. 266 00:48:44,760 --> 00:48:50,060 How can this chapter, Daniel chapter 8, have anything that helps me? 267 00:48:50,060 --> 00:48:55,200 I'm here. I've had a hard week. I've had a hard month. I've had a hard year. 268 00:48:55,200 --> 00:48:58,220 I'm struggling. I'm tired. I'm discouraged. 269 00:48:58,740 --> 00:49:01,420 Or maybe I'm busy and things are going well. 270 00:49:01,420 --> 00:49:06,300 And I don't have time to try to decode around the goat and them fighting 271 00:49:06,300 --> 00:49:09,520 and however many horns Daniel is writing about. 272 00:49:09,520 --> 00:49:17,560 How does this text intersect with our lives thousands of years later? 273 00:49:17,560 --> 00:49:22,320 I would say this, Daniel 8 is not here to confuse us. 274 00:49:22,320 --> 00:49:28,140 It is written for God's people who, in the immediate context, are in exile. 275 00:49:28,740 --> 00:49:31,620 which just simply means they're far from home. 276 00:49:31,620 --> 00:49:35,500 And it's written for those who would soon face 277 00:49:35,500 --> 00:49:39,340 the overwhelming power of those who would oppose them. 278 00:49:39,340 --> 00:49:42,940 And likely, God's people in this time 279 00:49:42,940 --> 00:49:46,760 feel powerless, afraid, and maybe even forgotten. 280 00:49:46,760 --> 00:49:49,840 And then here we are, 281 00:49:49,840 --> 00:49:54,460 and sometimes it feels like we are far from home. 282 00:49:54,460 --> 00:49:58,420 And sometimes it feels like we face overwhelming power 283 00:49:58,420 --> 00:50:05,540 in overwhelming obstacles, we face overwhelming opposition, and maybe we feel powerless, afraid, 284 00:50:05,540 --> 00:50:11,920 and even for God. And the reality is you and I live in a chaotic world, and we can very much 285 00:50:11,920 --> 00:50:20,080 identify with the feeling that Daniel's readers would have felt. We frequently fight for control 286 00:50:20,080 --> 00:50:26,380 in things that do not last. Even as Christians, we're tempted to find security in human strength 287 00:50:26,380 --> 00:50:32,380 their human ability or human understanding, and the things that we trust in other than Christ 288 00:50:32,380 --> 00:50:37,800 always fail, and we're left even more anxious and even more overwhelmed than where we started. 289 00:50:37,800 --> 00:50:43,920 And so here's what chapter 8 does for us as the people of God. In one sense, it's like a bucket 290 00:50:43,920 --> 00:50:50,680 of cold water on our self-sufficiency, right? Every human power, plan, and source of security 291 00:50:50,680 --> 00:50:57,960 crumbles. And in many ways, what this chapter does is takes a bucket of cold water and throws it 292 00:50:57,960 --> 00:51:07,520 on our pride. But while this confronts us, it also comforts us, right? The same hand that brings down 293 00:51:07,520 --> 00:51:13,480 the proud is the one that sustains his people. Now, this may sound strange, what I'm going to 294 00:51:13,480 --> 00:51:18,660 do, but I want to try to explain the outline of Daniel chapter 8 so you can see how it fits 295 00:51:18,660 --> 00:51:23,880 together. We'll talk a little bit about it, and then we'll try to bring some encouragement to our 296 00:51:23,880 --> 00:51:31,700 hearts from this text. So I've kind of labeled this point a prophetic quesadilla. And I want you 297 00:51:31,700 --> 00:51:38,040 to think about Daniel chapter 8 a little bit like a quesadilla. You have two sides. On one side 298 00:51:38,040 --> 00:51:45,580 you have the vision, which is in the first 14 verses, and then on the other side you have the 299 00:51:45,580 --> 00:51:52,600 interpretation of this vision. And there in the middle, sort of holding it all together, 300 00:51:52,600 --> 00:52:00,160 you find the first named angelic messenger in Scripture. His name is Gabriel, and he comes to 301 00:52:00,160 --> 00:52:05,500 Daniel with the interpretation. And so if you were to take this quesadilla and fold it over on one 302 00:52:05,500 --> 00:52:13,060 side, you have the vision. In the middle, you have the angelic messenger, Gabriel, who comes with the 303 00:52:13,060 --> 00:52:19,060 word of reassurance and the interpretation of the prophecy, and then you have that interpretation. 304 00:52:19,060 --> 00:52:25,980 And so the reality, I think, when it comes to Daniel 8, for us to understand it is to understand 305 00:52:25,980 --> 00:52:33,020 it sort of all put together like we would a quesadilla. So I want to start in verses 15 through 306 00:52:33,020 --> 00:52:40,100 17. When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it, and behold, there stood before me 307 00:52:40,100 --> 00:52:45,260 one having the appearance of a man, and I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulay, 308 00:52:45,260 --> 00:52:51,360 and it called, Gabriel, make this man understand the vision. So he came where I stood, and when he 309 00:52:51,360 --> 00:52:56,580 came, I was frightened and fell on my face, and he said to me, understand, O Son of Man, that the 310 00:52:56,580 --> 00:53:02,920 vision is for the time of the end. Now, what's interesting about the position that Daniel finds 311 00:53:02,920 --> 00:53:09,640 himself in, for much of his career, Daniel has been the wisdom guy, right? He's been the guy who 312 00:53:09,640 --> 00:53:15,100 has the answers. In fact, the end of chapter 1 gives us sort of this summary of Daniel and his 313 00:53:15,100 --> 00:53:23,520 friends that they're, you know, very much better than anyone else in their field. We've seen Daniel 314 00:53:23,520 --> 00:53:30,700 interpret dreams and visions. We've seen Daniel stand for what is right. And so here is the guy 315 00:53:30,700 --> 00:53:38,800 who has made his entire career in giving wisdom and interpreting dreams. He now finds himself in 316 00:53:38,800 --> 00:53:45,500 the place of the people that he has spent time helping. He needs help understanding. And for 317 00:53:45,500 --> 00:53:50,700 Daniel, that would have been normal because Daniel's rallying cry through all of his wisdom 318 00:53:50,700 --> 00:53:58,680 is that wisdom ultimately belongs to the hand of God and that he gives it to who he will. 319 00:53:58,680 --> 00:54:04,840 But for us, this is humbling because we like to have the answers. We like to think that we have 320 00:54:04,840 --> 00:54:11,000 it all figured out. And we like to have it all wrapped up in a nice little bow. And here is 321 00:54:11,000 --> 00:54:16,540 Daniel. And as he sees this vision, hears the vision, thinks about the vision, watches it unfold 322 00:54:16,540 --> 00:54:23,600 before him, goes, I don't understand it. And Daniel needs help, right? The one who stands for what's 323 00:54:23,600 --> 00:54:28,320 right in the face of the opposition, the great prayer warrior, king confronter, dream interpreter 324 00:54:28,320 --> 00:54:38,000 struggles here. And that says something to us that Daniel can't. He can't do it. We can't do it. 325 00:54:38,000 --> 00:54:42,500 But there is one who can, and he comes to Daniel 326 00:54:42,500 --> 00:54:53,720 with the message of what is about to happen. And so here comes Gabriel, sent by God. We see it here 327 00:54:53,720 --> 00:55:00,960 in these verses, Gabriel, make this man understand the vision. And as Daniel has said in chapter 2 328 00:55:00,960 --> 00:55:09,000 in verse 28, there is a God in his mystery. And so the question is, when we face those moments 329 00:55:09,000 --> 00:55:15,220 where it seems like everything unfolding in front of us is terrifying and scary and overwhelming, 330 00:55:15,220 --> 00:55:21,120 and we can't understand it, we struggle to understand it, where are we running to? 331 00:55:22,360 --> 00:55:24,080 The example of Daniel is this. 332 00:55:24,080 --> 00:55:28,900 Daniel, in Daniel chapter 2, facing the threat of death in an impossible situation, 333 00:55:28,900 --> 00:55:31,760 not just to interpret a dream, but to describe the dream. 334 00:55:31,760 --> 00:55:32,460 Look at what he does. 335 00:55:32,460 --> 00:55:38,000 He went to his house, made the manor known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, 336 00:55:38,000 --> 00:55:44,420 and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery. 337 00:55:44,420 --> 00:55:51,820 And so Daniel, and the message so far has been there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries 338 00:55:51,820 --> 00:55:54,420 and we run to him to help understand. 339 00:55:54,420 --> 00:55:57,720 And that's exactly what happens in the middle of this chapter 340 00:55:57,720 --> 00:56:00,500 is God sends someone to help him understand. 341 00:56:00,500 --> 00:56:03,520 Now for us, sometimes, 342 00:56:03,520 --> 00:56:05,480 and let me give you a little tip about the Bible here, 343 00:56:05,480 --> 00:56:08,260 sometimes when we come to something that confuses us, 344 00:56:08,260 --> 00:56:09,620 what we have to do is just keep reading. 345 00:56:09,620 --> 00:56:12,260 So if you read these first 14 verses 346 00:56:12,260 --> 00:56:15,360 and you go a ram and a goat and there's horns 347 00:56:15,360 --> 00:56:17,420 and there's four horns and there's one horn 348 00:56:17,420 --> 00:56:19,100 and there's all of these things, 349 00:56:19,440 --> 00:56:22,760 What's interesting is by the time you get to the end of the chapter, 350 00:56:22,760 --> 00:56:27,580 the angel comes and tells us what it means in a way that is so clear. 351 00:56:27,580 --> 00:56:34,440 People have leveled the accusation that this is written after the fact 352 00:56:34,440 --> 00:56:41,000 because the interpretation of this prophecy is so boldly clear in relation to history. 353 00:56:41,000 --> 00:56:47,000 And so sometimes what we're called to do is to keep going, to keep praying. 354 00:56:47,720 --> 00:56:52,360 Sometimes we're called to keep reading and see how God's story unfolds. 355 00:56:52,360 --> 00:56:54,520 Let's take a look at the vision and its interpretation. 356 00:56:54,520 --> 00:56:59,780 So we want to be sort of reminded of what we covered at the very beginning, right? 357 00:56:59,780 --> 00:57:03,860 There's a ram, there's a goat, there's horns, there's desolation. 358 00:57:03,860 --> 00:57:10,480 Listen to what the interpretation is, beginning in verse 19. 359 00:57:10,480 --> 00:57:17,060 He said, Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, 360 00:57:17,720 --> 00:57:20,100 For it refers to the appointed time of the end. 361 00:57:20,100 --> 00:57:22,460 And for the ram you saw with the two horns, 362 00:57:22,460 --> 00:57:28,560 these are the kings of Medes and the Persians. 363 00:57:28,560 --> 00:57:31,320 And if you remember at the very beginning, 364 00:57:31,320 --> 00:57:34,480 it says that there's two horns, both very tall, 365 00:57:34,480 --> 00:57:36,020 but one a little taller than the other. 366 00:57:36,020 --> 00:57:39,440 This alliance of the Medes and the Persians 367 00:57:39,440 --> 00:57:44,800 is one that while an alliance is also an alliance 368 00:57:44,800 --> 00:57:47,860 based on the fact that one is stronger than the other. 369 00:57:47,860 --> 00:57:51,020 And the goat is the king of Greece, 370 00:57:51,020 --> 00:57:56,060 and the great horn between his eyes is the first king. 371 00:57:56,060 --> 00:58:00,920 And for the horn that was broken in the place of which four others rose, 372 00:58:00,920 --> 00:58:05,080 four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power. 373 00:58:05,080 --> 00:58:07,100 And at the latter end of the kingdom, 374 00:58:07,100 --> 00:58:09,400 when the transgressors have reached their limit, 375 00:58:09,400 --> 00:58:14,280 a king of bold face, one who understands riddles, shall arise. 376 00:58:14,380 --> 00:58:20,960 And so when Gabriel says here, we begin to see what happens. 377 00:58:20,960 --> 00:58:24,580 And although it stretches centuries into the future for Daniel, 378 00:58:24,580 --> 00:58:27,900 we actually begin to see this happen in Daniel's lifetime. 379 00:58:27,900 --> 00:58:33,500 We begin to see this kingdom, the Medes and the Persians, 380 00:58:33,500 --> 00:58:37,840 that Daniel will end up working for them. 381 00:58:37,840 --> 00:58:44,180 This great king of Greece, Alexander the Great, when he dies in 323 B.C., 382 00:58:44,180 --> 00:58:47,760 His kingdom, the one horn, is destroyed. 383 00:58:47,760 --> 00:58:48,380 He dies. 384 00:58:48,380 --> 00:58:52,080 And then there are four rulers who arise. 385 00:58:52,080 --> 00:58:54,160 The one horn is replaced with four. 386 00:58:54,160 --> 00:58:59,420 And this little horn, Antiochus Epiphanes, 387 00:58:59,420 --> 00:59:06,500 he rules the Seleucid Empire from 175 B.C. until his death in 164. 388 00:59:06,500 --> 00:59:10,180 And he is the one who likely emerges in Daniel 8.23. 389 00:59:10,500 --> 00:59:13,860 And we know that he sort of wages a ruthless war, 390 00:59:13,860 --> 00:59:17,320 not necessarily just against God's people in Jerusalem, 391 00:59:17,320 --> 00:59:19,380 but against God himself. 392 00:59:19,380 --> 00:59:21,180 He will desecrate the temple. 393 00:59:21,180 --> 00:59:25,640 He'll stop the sacrifices that occur in the morning and the evening 394 00:59:25,640 --> 00:59:28,060 for this period of time. 395 00:59:28,060 --> 00:59:32,420 This 2,300 evenings and mornings, 396 00:59:32,420 --> 00:59:38,220 people have argued how many days, how many years this really is, 397 00:59:38,260 --> 00:59:42,240 but it likely fits into this time where he stops the offerings 398 00:59:42,240 --> 00:59:43,740 in the evening and the morning in the temple. 399 00:59:43,740 --> 00:59:49,520 And then there arises a man by the name of Judas Maccabees. 400 00:59:49,520 --> 00:59:52,400 He's called the Hammer. 401 00:59:52,400 --> 00:59:58,800 He will go and lead a rebellion against Antiochus Epiphanes 402 00:59:58,800 --> 01:00:02,260 in his pride and anger, 403 01:00:02,260 --> 01:00:05,460 and he will be overthrown. 404 01:00:06,360 --> 01:00:10,980 And it's from this period of time where the celebration of Hanukkah develops, 405 01:00:10,980 --> 01:00:14,680 where the candlestick in the temple, even though it only has one day of oil, 406 01:00:14,680 --> 01:00:16,540 runs for day after day. 407 01:00:16,540 --> 01:00:18,820 This is all well-documented historically. 408 01:00:18,820 --> 01:00:20,980 And if you want to read a little bit about it, 409 01:00:20,980 --> 01:00:25,020 you can essentially look up any of these names and find the history laid out. 410 01:00:25,020 --> 01:00:27,120 You can read the book of 2 Maccabees. 411 01:00:27,120 --> 01:00:31,820 There are so many details that fit into this section of Daniel. 412 01:00:32,760 --> 01:00:37,480 But in the big picture, what you see is an empire being replaced with another empire 413 01:00:37,480 --> 01:00:40,700 divided into sort of four different kingdoms, 414 01:00:40,700 --> 01:00:48,100 and then one kingdom horrifically and voraciously opposes the people of God. 415 01:00:48,100 --> 01:00:51,820 And this vision may seem distant, right? 416 01:00:51,820 --> 01:00:53,760 Rams, goats, Persia, Greece. 417 01:00:53,760 --> 01:00:59,640 But beneath it all is a truth that is so close to us 418 01:00:59,640 --> 01:01:05,260 that God knows, God reigns, and God's hand is steady. 419 01:01:05,260 --> 01:01:09,660 Throughout all of this chaos, throughout the terrifying beasts, 420 01:01:09,660 --> 01:01:12,200 through the great horns, through the beasts that move so fast, 421 01:01:12,200 --> 01:01:14,460 their feet don't seem to touch the ground. 422 01:01:14,460 --> 01:01:17,780 Who can stop the sacrifices in the temple? 423 01:01:17,780 --> 01:01:21,200 Who pursue and kill God's saints? 424 01:01:21,200 --> 01:01:26,860 We see that God, even in all of this, is in control. 425 01:01:26,860 --> 01:01:29,300 So three things I want to do this morning. 426 01:01:29,640 --> 01:01:35,480 to direct your heart to the hand of God. 427 01:01:35,480 --> 01:01:37,440 And first of all, I want us to see this. 428 01:01:37,440 --> 01:01:39,980 I want us to see the providence of God, 429 01:01:39,980 --> 01:01:43,580 the fact that he knows and that God reigns. 430 01:01:43,580 --> 01:01:47,880 I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. 431 01:01:47,880 --> 01:01:49,720 No beast could stand before him, 432 01:01:49,720 --> 01:01:53,400 and there was no one who could rescue from his power. 433 01:01:53,400 --> 01:01:56,060 He did as he pleased and became great. 434 01:01:57,520 --> 01:02:04,020 Verse 5, and as I was considering, behold, a male goat came from the west across the face of the 435 01:02:04,020 --> 01:02:09,480 whole earth without touching the ground, and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes, 436 01:02:09,480 --> 01:02:15,720 and the goat conquers the ram, and the goat leads to great difficulty for God's people, 437 01:02:15,720 --> 01:02:23,740 and things are terrible. In fact, we find this description. By his cunning, he shall make deceit 438 01:02:23,740 --> 01:02:29,220 prosper under his hand. And in his own mind, he shall become great. And in fact, this is a great 439 01:02:29,220 --> 01:02:35,340 historical picture of Antiochus' epiphanies, because he will issue coins with that word 440 01:02:35,340 --> 01:02:46,060 epiphanies, that I am the manifestation of God, of Zeus. And many people will play a play on his 441 01:02:46,060 --> 01:02:52,200 name to mock him behind his back. He's one of those people who is a legend in his own mind. 442 01:02:53,040 --> 01:02:55,080 Even without that, he is insanely dangerous. 443 01:02:55,080 --> 01:02:57,260 Without warning, he shall destroy many. 444 01:02:57,260 --> 01:03:00,680 And then here you see his ultimate rebellion. 445 01:03:00,680 --> 01:03:02,080 This isn't against God's people, 446 01:03:02,080 --> 01:03:05,020 but he shall rise up against the prince of princes. 447 01:03:05,020 --> 01:03:08,440 And here's where he meets his match. 448 01:03:08,440 --> 01:03:13,540 He shall be broken, but by no human hand. 449 01:03:13,540 --> 01:03:17,040 And what we find as history begins to unfold 450 01:03:17,040 --> 01:03:21,520 from Daniel and through the Medo-Persian Empire 451 01:03:21,520 --> 01:03:27,420 and Greece rise and fall, exactly as God has revealed. Daniel's going to see some of this 452 01:03:27,420 --> 01:03:33,020 unfold in his own life. It will impact him because he'll go from working for one kingdom to another. 453 01:03:33,020 --> 01:03:38,900 And here's what we see. God doesn't just know the future, that he ordains it. And sometimes for us, 454 01:03:38,900 --> 01:03:45,640 our struggle is moving this truth from our heads. Yes, I know that God is sovereign down to the 455 01:03:45,640 --> 01:03:52,460 depths of our heart. And we may say God is in control, but sometimes when life seems out of 456 01:03:52,460 --> 01:03:58,860 control, that truth feels distant. And one of the ways forward, interestingly, in trusting the 457 01:03:58,860 --> 01:04:05,420 sovereignty of God, is looking backward and seeing how his sovereignty has worked, not just in 458 01:04:05,420 --> 01:04:13,480 history, in Daniel chapter 8, and the events that follow, but in our own lives as well, to see what 459 01:04:13,480 --> 01:04:23,460 God has done. If God can name kingdoms before they rise, He can deal with what is happening 460 01:04:23,460 --> 01:04:29,460 in your life right now. The second thing I want you to see is the reality of this battle. 461 01:04:29,460 --> 01:04:37,980 I want you to see this. His power shall be great, speaking of this little horn. His power shall be 462 01:04:37,980 --> 01:04:45,120 great but it says this but not by his own power shall he cause fearful destruction and he shall 463 01:04:45,120 --> 01:04:51,700 succeed in what he does and destroy the mighty men and the people who are his saints the power 464 01:04:51,700 --> 01:05:04,760 of this little horn is not his own and what's interesting if we look a little farther 465 01:05:04,760 --> 01:05:08,560 in Daniel chapter 10, 466 01:05:08,560 --> 01:05:12,580 we begin to glimpse that behind all of the things we see, 467 01:05:12,580 --> 01:05:14,900 there's a spiritual reality. 468 01:05:14,900 --> 01:05:17,120 In fact, in Daniel chapter 10, we'll read it in just a minute, 469 01:05:17,120 --> 01:05:19,740 but there is a delay in Daniel's answer to prayer 470 01:05:19,740 --> 01:05:23,760 because the messenger of God is delayed 471 01:05:23,760 --> 01:05:26,340 by a messenger of the enemy. 472 01:05:26,340 --> 01:05:29,580 So here a king rises, not in his own power, 473 01:05:29,580 --> 01:05:31,380 but then he comes up against another power. 474 01:05:31,380 --> 01:05:33,880 By his cunning he shall make deceit prosper. 475 01:05:34,600 --> 01:05:37,700 These verses we've just read, but look at how he ends. 476 01:05:37,700 --> 01:05:42,100 He shall be broken by no human hand. 477 01:05:42,100 --> 01:05:46,380 And in Daniel chapter 10, as we hear this delayed answer, 478 01:05:46,380 --> 01:05:50,020 the kingdom of the prince of Persia withstood me 21 days, 479 01:05:50,020 --> 01:05:53,080 but Michael, one of the chief princes, the archangel, 480 01:05:53,080 --> 01:05:57,260 came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia. 481 01:05:57,260 --> 01:06:03,280 What we're talking about here, and while it sounds hard for our ears, 482 01:06:03,340 --> 01:06:05,420 we are talking about a spiritual reality 483 01:06:05,420 --> 01:06:08,660 where there are angels and archangels 484 01:06:08,660 --> 01:06:10,940 and there are spiritual forces 485 01:06:10,940 --> 01:06:13,640 and the forces of evil and Satan 486 01:06:13,640 --> 01:06:16,660 and his demons that oppose the work of God. 487 01:06:16,660 --> 01:06:19,360 And what we see unfolding in Daniel 8 488 01:06:19,360 --> 01:06:22,000 is not just a battle of kings and princes 489 01:06:22,000 --> 01:06:23,900 and territories and resources, 490 01:06:23,900 --> 01:06:27,160 but what we see is a battle of good versus evil. 491 01:06:27,160 --> 01:06:29,340 A king who rises with great power 492 01:06:29,340 --> 01:06:31,080 through none of his own, 493 01:06:31,480 --> 01:06:33,560 empowered by the enemy, 494 01:06:33,560 --> 01:06:36,340 comes up against the prince of princes 495 01:06:36,340 --> 01:06:40,320 and is broken through no human hand. 496 01:06:40,320 --> 01:06:45,300 And what we begin to see and what we must realize 497 01:06:45,300 --> 01:06:48,100 is that there are spiritual powers oftentimes 498 01:06:48,100 --> 01:06:51,740 behind the earthly conflict that we see. 499 01:06:51,740 --> 01:06:55,060 The persecution of God's people that unfolds 500 01:06:55,060 --> 01:06:58,660 is not just political, it's spiritual. 501 01:06:59,080 --> 01:07:03,980 And so many times I think we end up aiming at the wrong target. 502 01:07:03,980 --> 01:07:09,660 We fight people instead of recognizing the spiritual reality behind the chaos. 503 01:07:09,660 --> 01:07:15,680 So many times we see the symptoms as our enemy rather than the reality behind them 504 01:07:15,680 --> 01:07:20,220 that sin and Satan are the ones who are at work in our world. 505 01:07:20,220 --> 01:07:23,040 And the people that so often we're tempted to attack, 506 01:07:23,040 --> 01:07:26,600 the reality is they are captives in need of rescue. 507 01:07:27,760 --> 01:07:34,740 And so Paul says in Ephesians chapter 6, we don't fight against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers. 508 01:07:34,740 --> 01:07:45,280 So we stand firm in truth and in prayer and in the strength that God gives us through the Spirit and the grace of the gospel. 509 01:07:45,280 --> 01:07:48,220 And we must be reminded that our strength is not our own. 510 01:07:48,220 --> 01:07:51,580 It comes from the hand of God who fights for his people. 511 01:07:51,580 --> 01:07:55,440 And if you've seen through the book of Daniel, one of the things Daniel does is he fights through prayer. 512 01:07:56,300 --> 01:07:58,300 We sang it as we started this morning. 513 01:07:58,300 --> 01:08:01,740 So when I fight, I'll fight on my knees with my hands raised up. 514 01:08:01,740 --> 01:08:09,900 Because our hope in this is not necessarily a physical battle, but a spiritual one. 515 01:08:09,900 --> 01:08:14,680 The spot with spiritual weapons and spiritual defenses. 516 01:08:14,680 --> 01:08:20,160 And God's people clothed in the armor of God, depending upon the power of God, 517 01:08:20,160 --> 01:08:22,800 that must be a reality in our life. 518 01:08:23,660 --> 01:08:27,180 Third, we see that there is a power of hope. 519 01:08:27,180 --> 01:08:31,860 And I want to direct us to the fact that our strength is in the lamb. 520 01:08:31,860 --> 01:08:36,580 And at the end of verse 25, he shall rise up against the prince of princes. 521 01:08:36,580 --> 01:08:40,200 He shall be broken, but by no human hand. 522 01:08:40,200 --> 01:08:43,380 And so we've seen the ram, we've seen the goat. 523 01:08:43,380 --> 01:08:45,180 They represent earthly strength. 524 01:08:45,180 --> 01:08:47,880 They're impressive, but they're temporary and limited. 525 01:08:47,880 --> 01:08:51,020 Their time runs out, their horns break. 526 01:08:52,540 --> 01:08:57,440 And our hope ultimately is not in the ram or the goat 527 01:08:57,440 --> 01:09:04,120 or whatever current animal represents our hope of salvation. 528 01:09:04,120 --> 01:09:05,940 I want to go to Revelation chapter 5. 529 01:09:05,940 --> 01:09:10,280 And I want to show you this picture of heaven that is wonderful. 530 01:09:10,280 --> 01:09:12,300 And right before this, there is a picture. 531 01:09:12,300 --> 01:09:15,520 We talked about prayer, and we've spent time praying this morning. 532 01:09:15,520 --> 01:09:19,860 There is an incense, a pleasant smell, wafting up before God, 533 01:09:19,860 --> 01:09:22,180 and it says it's the prayers of his saints. 534 01:09:22,540 --> 01:09:25,900 And here's the vision in heaven in Revelation chapter 5. 535 01:09:25,900 --> 01:09:28,580 And they sang a new song, saying, 536 01:09:28,580 --> 01:09:31,580 Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, 537 01:09:31,580 --> 01:09:36,240 for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God 538 01:09:36,240 --> 01:09:38,860 from every tribe and language and people and nation, 539 01:09:38,860 --> 01:09:42,020 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, 540 01:09:42,020 --> 01:09:44,440 and they shall reign on the earth. 541 01:09:44,440 --> 01:09:50,660 And in Daniel chapter 8, we see the prince of princes is the one who casts down. 542 01:09:52,540 --> 01:09:56,180 and takes away the power of the ram. 543 01:09:56,180 --> 01:10:00,540 You see, Antiochus Epiphanes' oppression 544 01:10:00,540 --> 01:10:05,800 is a foreshadowing and a picture of the oppression of God's people. 545 01:10:05,800 --> 01:10:12,120 And what we find is that our hope is not in a goat or in a ram, 546 01:10:12,120 --> 01:10:16,020 but it is in the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. 547 01:10:16,020 --> 01:10:20,580 And if you are weary and if you are fearful, 548 01:10:22,800 --> 01:10:24,460 Evaluate where your hope is. 549 01:10:24,460 --> 01:10:30,040 Not in rams or goats or whatever animal symbolizes the things that you're hoping in. 550 01:10:30,040 --> 01:10:31,740 Human systems, human leaders. 551 01:10:31,740 --> 01:10:34,400 It is in the Lamb who reigns forever. 552 01:10:34,400 --> 01:10:43,060 And the final word from God is that for God's people, it's defeat, it's deliverance. 553 01:10:43,060 --> 01:10:47,720 And that's where we find ourselves, and it's a bit of a struggle. 554 01:10:47,720 --> 01:10:50,600 We live between the vision and the victory. 555 01:10:51,180 --> 01:10:55,840 Daniel chapter 8 and verse 27, I, Daniel, this is Daniel's response after seeing and trying to 556 01:10:55,840 --> 01:11:02,160 process this, was overcome and lay sick for some days. Then I arose and went about the king's 557 01:11:02,160 --> 01:11:08,680 business, but I was appalled by the vision and did not understand it. Daniel is overwhelmed. 558 01:11:08,680 --> 01:11:16,880 Even though he's had an explanation, he doesn't completely understand all that has occurred. 559 01:11:17,880 --> 01:11:24,080 But notice what he does. He arises, and he goes about the king's business. 560 01:11:24,080 --> 01:11:27,040 Isn't that a wonderful picture of faith? 561 01:11:27,040 --> 01:11:31,720 You don't have to see or understand the entire plan to walk in obedience. 562 01:11:31,720 --> 01:11:36,880 St. Clair Ferguson of this passage writes this. He just simply says he did his duty. 563 01:11:36,880 --> 01:11:42,800 Daniel's knowledge of the future didn't lead to retreat, but to steadfast faithfulness. 564 01:11:44,360 --> 01:11:48,380 And maybe you're overwhelmed, maybe you're in the midst of chaos, 565 01:11:48,380 --> 01:11:52,640 maybe you feel the darkness of sin and spiritual opposition. 566 01:11:52,640 --> 01:11:58,540 Daniel 8 isn't meant to frighten you, it's meant to free you from trusting that which cannot last, 567 01:11:58,540 --> 01:12:05,200 that God knows he reigns, and his unseen hand, his hand of providence, humbles kings, 568 01:12:05,200 --> 01:12:07,940 but also holds on to his children. 569 01:12:09,860 --> 01:12:12,860 So when God throws that bucket of ice water 570 01:12:12,860 --> 01:12:14,340 on your illusion of control, 571 01:12:14,340 --> 01:12:17,520 I encourage you, don't cling harder 572 01:12:17,520 --> 01:12:19,420 to those things that fade away. 573 01:12:19,420 --> 01:12:22,660 There's only one hand that we cling to, 574 01:12:22,660 --> 01:12:25,760 and it's the hand that truly holds the world, 575 01:12:25,760 --> 01:12:26,960 the hand of God. 576 01:12:26,960 --> 01:12:27,540 Let's pray. 577 01:12:27,540 --> 01:12:29,820 Father in heaven, 578 01:12:29,820 --> 01:12:34,620 we struggle sometimes with these pictures, 579 01:12:34,620 --> 01:12:35,460 with the symbolism, 580 01:12:35,460 --> 01:12:38,140 with the prophecy, with the interpretation. 581 01:12:39,260 --> 01:12:43,440 Help us not to struggle with the fact that you reign over all things. 582 01:12:43,440 --> 01:12:49,160 That you are sovereign in our joys and in our sorrows and our victories and in our defeats. 583 01:12:49,160 --> 01:12:52,880 You're sovereign when we see the way clearly laid ahead of us 584 01:12:52,880 --> 01:12:55,700 and when we have no idea what's around the next corner. 585 01:12:55,700 --> 01:12:59,460 And so may you give courage and strength to your saints. 586 01:12:59,460 --> 01:13:03,420 May you help us to see that you reign. 587 01:13:04,640 --> 01:13:10,440 This battle we fight is spiritual, and then our ultimate hope is in the Lamb. 588 01:13:10,440 --> 01:13:13,040 In Jesus' name we pray, amen. 589 01:13:13,040 --> 01:13:19,920 We're going to stand and we're going to sing a song we sang last week, 590 01:13:19,920 --> 01:13:24,240 but it fits so well as Daniel and Revelation oftentimes overlap. 591 01:13:24,240 --> 01:13:27,400 And so we're going to sing about the Lamb. 592 01:13:27,400 --> 01:13:28,380 So let's go ahead and be standing. 593 01:13:34,640 --> 01:13:50,460 Worthy is the Lamb who was slain 594 01:13:50,460 --> 01:13:55,520 Holy, holy is He 595 01:13:55,520 --> 01:14:01,040 Sing a new song 596 01:14:01,040 --> 01:14:08,920 To him who sits on heaven's mercy seat. 597 01:14:08,920 --> 01:14:18,720 Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. 598 01:14:18,720 --> 01:14:23,500 Holy, holy is he. 599 01:14:26,640 --> 01:14:37,340 Send a new song to him who sits on heaven's mercy seat. 600 01:14:37,340 --> 01:14:51,700 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was and is and is to come. 601 01:14:54,380 --> 01:15:01,100 With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings. 602 01:15:01,100 --> 01:15:09,380 You are my everything and I will adore you. 603 01:15:22,760 --> 01:15:34,060 Filled with wonder, o'er-struck wonder, at the mention of your name. 604 01:15:34,060 --> 01:15:48,520 Jesus, your name is power, breath and living water, such a marvelous mystery. 605 01:15:51,520 --> 01:16:02,640 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. 606 01:16:02,640 --> 01:16:11,620 With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings. 607 01:16:11,620 --> 01:16:18,940 You are my everything and I will adore you. 608 01:16:19,960 --> 01:16:30,700 Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. 609 01:16:30,700 --> 01:16:39,860 With all creation I sing praise to the King of kings. 610 01:16:39,860 --> 01:16:47,340 You are my everything and I will adore you. 611 01:16:49,960 --> 01:17:19,940 We'll be right back. 612 01:17:19,960 --> 01:17:49,940 Thank you. 613 01:17:49,960 --> 01:18:19,940 Thank you. 614 01:18:19,960 --> 01:18:49,940 We'll be right back. 615 01:18:49,960 --> 01:18:54,280 Praise Him, all creatures here below. 616 01:18:54,280 --> 01:19:00,120 Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts. 617 01:19:00,120 --> 01:19:05,740 Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 618 01:19:19,960 --> 01:19:49,940 Thank you. 619 01:19:49,960 --> 01:20:19,940 Thank you. 620 01:20:19,960 --> 01:20:49,940 Thank you. 621 01:22:19,960 --> 01:22:49,940 For more information, visit www.fema.org 622 01:22:49,960 --> 01:23:19,940 Thank you. 623 01:23:19,960 --> 01:23:49,940 Thank you.