Sunday, November 2
2025-11-02
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ql4GRsSLhw

Amen.

We want to welcome you to worship this morning at College Park. Just a couple of quick announcements as we get started. There are bulletins with sermon outlines in the middle of them. If you want to follow along with the sermon or with our order of worship this morning. There are also communion elements on that table as well. If you would like to participate with us as we celebrate the good news of the gospel and are nourished by the sacrifice of Jesus. So this morning, we've been moving through the book of Daniel, and we come to Daniel chapter 9, which probably most of us are familiar with that because of the last verses, this prophecy of the 70 weeks. But the reality of Daniel chapter 9 is that the majority of it is a prayer from Daniel, a prayer of confession. And what's remarkable about Daniel chapter 9 is that it begins with confession.

As Daniel confesses his sins and the sins of his nation, it moves from confession to comfort and then to the confidence that we have in God's sovereignty over all things. And so, sometimes we find ourselves in seasons of waiting, and we need to be reminded this morning that our hope rests in the truth. As it's written in Lamentations, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases." And so, what we're going to do this morning as we worship is we're going to lift our eyes to the God whose mercies are new every morning. And before we do that, we're going to go to him in prayer, and then we will read some Scripture and sing together. Father God, I thank you that your mercies truly are new every morning, and that your faithfulness is truly great.

So, teach us this morning as we come to worship to confess our brokenness honestly. May we rest in your steadfast love. May you help us to live with confidence in the fact that you rule over all things. We ask and we pray that you will be honored as we sing and as we read your word, as we gather together around the table, as we are assured of your goodness through our word, as we fellowship with one another, as we pray together. May all things that we do glorify you. It's in your son's name we pray. Amen. If you would be standing, we're going to read from Lamentations chapter 3 together, and then we're going to sing "10,000 Reasons." So if you would, read with me. "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.

His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul. There is a blessing to him." We're going to start by singing "10,000 Reasons." Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul. Worship his holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul. I'll worship your holy name. The sun comes up. It's a new day dawning. It's time to sing your song. Again, whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me. Let me be singing when the evening dawns. Bless the Lord, O my soul. O my soul. Worship His holy name. Sing like never before. O my soul. I'll worship Your holy name.

You're rich in love, and You're slow to anger. Your name is great, and Your heart is kind. For all Your goodness, I will keep on singing. Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find. Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul. Worship His holy name. Sin like never before, O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name. And on that day when my strength is failing, the end draws me, and my time has come. Still my soul will sing Your praise unending. Ten thousand years and then forevermore. Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul. Worship His holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul. I'll worship Your holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul. Worship His holy name. Sing like never before, O my soul. I'll worship Your holy name. Yes, I will worship Your holy name. Lord, I'll worship Your holy name.

Lord, I'll worship Your holy name. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Remember those walls that we called sin and shame? They were like prisons that we couldn't escape. But He came, and He died, and He rose. Those walls are rubble now.

Remember those giants we called death and grave? They were like mountains that stood in our way. But He came, and He died, and He rose. Those giants are dead now.

This is our God. This is who He is. He loves us. This is our God. This is what He does. He saves us. He bore the cross, beat the grave, let heaven and earth proclaim. This is our God, King Jesus. That fear that took our breath away. Faith so weak that we could barely pray. But He heard every word, every whisper. Now those altars in the wilderness tell the story of His faithfulness. Never once did He fail, and He never will. This is our God. This is who He is. He loves us. This is our God. This is what He does. He saves us. He bore the cross, beat the grave. Let heaven and earth proclaim. This is our God, King Jesus. This is our God. This is who He is. He loves us. This is our God. This is what He does. He saves us. He bore the cross, beat the grave. Let heaven and earth proclaim. This is our God, King Jesus. He bore the cross, beat the grave. Let heaven and earth proclaim. This is our God, King Jesus. Amen. Amen. Amen.

When we think of biblical confession, it is not simply just the acknowledgement of our sin. It begins with an acknowledgement, first of all, of who God is. In Daniel, in the ninth chapter, Daniel begins his prayer, not by listing his failures, but by proclaiming that God is great and awesome and faithful. In fact, here's how Daniel prays as he begins to confess. He doesn't begin by confessing sin, but he begins by confessing God's greatness. "I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments." And so as we come before him this morning in this portion of our service, we want to do both kinds of confession, both confessing God's greatness, as Daniel does, and confessing our sin, which Daniel does next.

"To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him." And as we do those things, as we look to God's greatness and we see our brokenness, we are assured of this. And I'll ask you, just as we read earlier, to read this together with me. Let's go ahead and read from 1 John 1:9. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." This is the word of the Lord. In Christ, our guilt is removed. Our hearts are renewed. Our confidence is restored. And so we want to sing as we lead into our time around the table of God's unfailing faithfulness. And what we're going to do is we're going to sing a song that's familiar, I think, to most of us.

"I Set My Hope on Jesus." And as we sing it, you'll see there's sort of an outline that runs through it. It's going to begin with the trials of life. And in the second part, the middle of the song, it moves into a war with sin. And it ends with this call from outside to trust in other things. And through it all is this refrain, "I Set My Hope on Jesus." And so as we come in confession of God's greatness and in confession of our sin and in assurance of forgiveness, we want to set our hope on Jesus. And then following this, we will move into our time of communion. So let's sing together.

When the questions come and doubts remain, I set my hope on Jesus. For the deepest wounds the time won't heal. There's a joy that runs still deeper. There's a truth that's more than all I feel. I set my hope on Jesus. I set my hope on Jesus. My rock, my only trust. Who set his heart upon me first? I set my hope on Jesus. I set my hope on Jesus. When I feel the fight and sink within, I set my hope on Jesus. Though the shame would drown me in its sea, and I dread the wave of justice. I set my hope on Jesus. I set my hope on Jesus. My God, my only trust. You set His heart upon me first. I set my hope on Jesus. I set my hope on Jesus. Though the world call me to leave my Lord, I set my hope on Jesus. Though it offer all its vain rewards, I set my hope on Jesus.

I set my hope on Jesus. Though this heart of mine is prone to stray, give me grace enough to finish, till I worship on that final day. I set my hope on Jesus. I set my hope on Jesus. I set my hope on Jesus. I set my hope on Jesus. My rock, my only trust. I set his heart upon me first. I set my hope on Jesus. I set my hope on Jesus. I set my hope on Jesus. I set my hope on Jesus. And as we come to the table, we do so in clear acknowledgement that we are sinners. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 1 says this, "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of, among whom you once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of the flesh.

And when we hold this bread and we hold this cup, one of the things that we are doing is we are admitting that sin is real, and that the price of that sin is life and blood, and that we have no hope apart from the mercy of God." And so we come to this table declaring that we are broken by sin, but we also declare that God is faithful. But God, being rich in mercy and because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. True confession of both God's greatness and our brokenness isn't meant to lead us into shame, but rather out of shame, into the light of God's truth and leads us to grace. And God has answered our cry. You see, we look back on the finished work of Christ, and we hear these words that we are loved, but God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which He loved us. You see, the cross is a declaration

that we are greatly loved. And so we come confessing. We come taking comfort in the salvation that we have in Christ. And we know that Jesus' body was broken for us, and His blood was poured out for the forgiveness of our sins. And as we eat and drink, we are reminded that the price for our sins has been paid in full, and we cannot be separated from the love of God. And it is well with my soul. Philip Bliss says this, "My sin, O the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin not in part but the whole, has been nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul." And seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show us the immeasurable riches of His grace and kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

We come with confession, we come finding comfort, and we come with confidence. The same Lord who redeemed us will return. The same hands that were pierced now hold all of history. And even when things feel uncertain, this bread in this cup reminds us that our God reigns. And so not only do we have confidence, we proclaim that confidence. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. If you would pray with me. Father, we are so thankful that you meet our sin with grace. We thank you for the truth of knowing that in Christ our sins are forgiven, that your love is unchanging. And we thank you for the confidence that we have, that history and our lives are held secure within our hands.

And as we partake of this bread and this cup, remind us again that we are greatly loved. I ask that you bless this bread and this cup. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. If you would, take the bread with me that directs us to the body of Christ given for us. And let's remember Jesus together as we partake of the bread. This cup, Jesus says, is the new covenant in His blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins. So let's drink together in gratitude for His grace. Because of Christ's sacrifice, we leave this table not in guilt, but filled with grace, not afraid, but in faith. That in Christ He is our comfort, He is our confidence, and He is our coming King. We're going to be in Daniel chapter 9 this morning. If you'd like to follow along in your Bible or there are handouts in the bulletin.

Let's see if we can make this work. I'm going to go ahead and pray, and then we will just dive right into it. Father in heaven, be with us this morning. Help us to see your goodness and your grace. May you encourage our weary and often struggling hearts. May you humble our pride. May you direct us to your sovereign rule in all things. As empires rise and empires fall, remind us that your kingdom is not only unshaken, but it advances. And that you have the final say in all things. So encourage your people. Give us courage for what lies ahead. Give us strength. And most of all, remind us of your mercy and grace. May you open our hearts to hear and understand and respond to the gospel. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

I don't know about you, but waiting does not often come easy to me. So yesterday, a friend and I were going into D.C. to watch a play about C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien at the Bible Museum. And so when he originally texted me and said, "Hey, here's our schedule. It was a group text with our wives." He's like, "Hey, we've got to be there at 2, so we need to be on the Metro at like 1:15, so we can leave the church at like 12:15." And his wife just responds, and if you've had a wife in a text message respond like this, you know it's just "okay," but with like spelled out like "okay." And we knew immediately something had messed up. And he's like, "You guys need to be there at least an hour early."

Okay, so we ended up leaving at 11 o'clock. Things did not quite go according to plan, and at 1:45, we're still sitting on the Metro. We've got like another 20 minutes to be at the play that starts at 2, and of course we can't tell anybody that they were right, right? But we're sitting there, and we're like, "Well, what are we going to do? Like, we'll get off. We've got 500 yards. We can run. Neither of us are runners, but in an emergency, right, we can make it." The Metro, because you're just farther away, right? You've just got to sit, and your whole time is at the mercy of someone else. It's not a very good feeling, right? What am I doing? What am I supposed to be doing? How can I fix this? How can I make it better?

How can we get there faster? Here's the reality. Most of us are not great in those moments where we are stuck waiting. And biblically, there's not a lot of people who are great in those moments of waiting, right? Abraham and Sarah, as they wait for God's promise, don't do very well. Saul, as he waits for Samuel at the sacrifice. We can move through Scripture and see that God's people oftentimes struggle, just as we do, with those moments where we wait. There's a moment in Exodus chapter 14 where God's people are stuck. In front of them is the Red Sea. Behind them is Pharaoh's army. Surrounding them is the wilderness. In that moment, they're stuck, and there's nowhere else to go. And do you know what Moses tells God's people in that moment? He says to them this, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord." He goes on to say, "He will work, and you will never see the descriptions behind you again."

This is not an easy thing. If we are in this situation, what are we going to want to do? We're going to want to try to manufacture a way forward. Like, bring up the pontoon bridge. Let's go across this body of water. Let's figure out a way around. Let's head into the wilderness. Maybe we can run. Maybe we can hide. Let's turn around and let's fight for our lives, our backs against the wall. There's nothing fiercer than a people defending their family. And God doesn't send them forward. He doesn't send them backward. He doesn't send them to the left or to the right. The message is this, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord." And notice that the waiting that God's people are in, in this moment, as their enemies come, as their way is blocked, as the wilderness surrounds them,

that what is happening, it's not passive. They're not waiting on a metro for the right stop. They're not waiting at an airport for their flight. But it is active. Fear not. Confront your fear with the truth of who God is. Stand firm, right? Don't run, don't hide, don't cower, but stand firm. And then look and see with your eyes the salvation of the Lord, right? There is a picture here of faithfully standing firm in the power of God. This is not an inactive waiting. And this is where we find Daniel this morning in Daniel chapter 9. Daniel, at this point in his life, he's been in captivity for 70 years. He's got to be in his 80s, depending on when he went. He's somewhere between his early 80s and his late 80s. He's faithfully stood, and he has faithfully seen the salvation of the Lord time after time, and he has to be tired.

What I find as I get older, and I'm not that old yet, I don't think, is that there's a lot of times where I'm just like, "I want to go home." Like, we're out doing something, it's like, "You know what? I just want to go home." Like, "I don't want to be here. I want to go home." And I think as we get older, that feeling gets deeper within us. And here is Daniel. He hasn't seen his home since he's a teenager. He's far from the people of God and the city of God. And he's far from home. I want you to see what Daniel is doing during the period of his life. You don't have to go deep into the book of Daniel to know that this book is almost over. And so what is Daniel doing as he's in his 80s, as he has stood firm,

as he has seen the salvation of the Lord time and time again? What is he doing? Take a look. In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, by descent Amid, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely 70 years. Then I turned my face, the Lord God seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting, and sackcloth and ashes. The first thing that Daniel does as he waits is he opens up the word of God and he dives deeply into it. He's not just reading through the prophet Jeremiah as a way to check off his daily chapters on his Bible reading list.

He is diving deep and seeking to understand what Jeremiah says. And specifically, in Jeremiah chapter 25 and in Jeremiah chapter 25, you're going to find the words that Daniel is referring to. What's interesting is later on in verse 8, Daniel is going to talk about the guilt of three groups: kings, princes, and fathers. And what's interesting is in Jeremiah chapter 44, the sinful behavior of the people takes place with a complete knowledge and also the approval of three very similar groups. So Daniel isn't just sort of picking out a couple verses here and a couple verses there, but it seems as if, woven through the prayer that comes, and including in this little background that Daniel gives us, that he has not just simply read this, he has studied the Word of God deeply. The second thing that Daniel's doing is this:

"I turn my face to the Lord God, seeking Him by prayer." Not just the general sense of "Thank you for this day, help us to have a good day," but in specifics, like what we just did, where we talked about the hurts and the joys and the sorrows and the struggles of life in a specific way, and then specifically prayed for them. Daniel is doing exactly that as he waits. And he's not just dealing with specific requests, but he's taking the Word of God and applying it to his heart in his prayers as he prays. And if you consider Daniel's faithfulness throughout this book, and you might say, "How is Daniel able to be so faithful as a young man in a foreign land, as he faces the impossible task of interpreting a dream that he doesn't even know, as he stands before the king with bad news,

as he prays in defiance of the decree? How is he able to be faithful in a hostile land so far from home?" And the answer is simply this: Daniel's roots go down deep. You see, what we see in Daniel's public life, his courage, his wisdom, his faith, is the fruit of what is happening in his private life. And what you see Daniel doing is he is not led by his heart, but he is leading his heart through Scripture. And he leads his heart to both the greatness and goodness of God. And the same is true for us. Our public faith will never rise higher than our private walk with God. And one of the reasons I think this chapter is so important for God's people is because we are now led into this wonderful picture of how it is to wait for the Lord.

Here he is, far from home, in a foreign land, surrounded by people who are frequently hostile to him. How do we live in that moment? Because it sounds a lot like our world. Here we are, far from home, sometimes feeling like we are strangers and aliens in a world that is so frequently seeming hostile. How do we wait for the Lord? Here's Daniel. He's reading and praying and worshiping, and he's been waiting now for 70 years. There's another reason this chapter is so important. It not only shows us that Daniel prays, but it shows us how he prays. It shows us what anchors his prayer, that he knows God's character, that he trusts Him, and he lives his life in God. His prayer, what we'll see, is going to begin with confession. It's going to lead into comfort from God and confidence in God.

You and I struggle in our waiting. It's the simple reality of life. Maybe your struggle this morning is with your sins. And you go, "Can God forgive? My sins are great. My brokenness runs deep." But maybe we wonder where God is in the midst of captivity, far from home. Maybe we look at the world and we go, "Is God's plan still even on track?" Maybe you just feel stuck. Let's take a look at Daniel's prayer. This is a surprising prayer because it is a prayer of confession that seems to come from a guy who doesn't have much to confess. He's done, really, as we've seen, not a lot but good. Every chapter is, "Daniel's good. Daniel's good. Daniel's good. Daniel is faithful. Daniel prays when you're not supposed to." And we'll get there in just a few moments, but before I do, I want to talk a little bit about confession.

And I want to direct you just very quickly to three kinds of confession that we see in this prayer. And I want you to understand, first of all, that confession is a declaration. The heart of this word has to do with casting or throwing. And in some cases, in a confession of praise, it's lifting your hands in worship of God. But it can also be pictured in the midst of trial as wringing your hands in anguish and sorrow before God. And confession is not just a feeling, and it's not just an acknowledgement. Biblical confession is this: it's a declaration of truth, but also a commitment to live in this truth. It's not just simply saying, for example, that this is sin, but it's saying that this is sin, and I will no longer walk in it.

It's not just saying that God is great, but it's saying, "God is great, and I will live my life following Him." You see, when we confess that Jesus is Lord, we're not just acknowledging that fact, we're seeking to order our life around that fact. When we confess our sin, we're not just acknowledging a list of failures we're seeking to leave behind, but we're throwing ourselves on the mercy of God. Three kinds of confession in Daniel's prayer. First of all, there is the confession of God's character. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God who keeps the covenant, and steadfast love with those who love Him, and keep His commandments." And as you move through this prayer, you'll see that righteousness belongs to God. Mercy and forgiveness belong to God. And woven throughout almost every line of this prayer is a confession of God's righteousness,

His goodness, and His care for His people. And what Daniel is saying is, "I seek God for who He is, and I don't seek to try to change it, or explain it away, or twist it, or manipulate Him, but rather I cling to who God is in His greatness." And from this confession of greatness we come to the confession of sinful brokenness. "We have sinned, and done wrong, and acted wickedly, and rebelled, and turned aside from Your commandments and rules. We have not listened to Your servants, the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, and our princes, and our fathers, and all the people of the land." This is a theme that's also woven through the chapter. And in fact, what Daniel will do next, in the verses that follow, we'll just see an example of it in verse 7, but he's going to take God's goodness

and faithfulness, contrast it to the brokenness of sin, back to God's goodness and faithfulness, contrast it with the brokenness of sin. Let me just show you in verse 7. "To you, O Lord," I'm sorry, he will say, "To you, O Lord, belong righteousness, but to us open shame." And he will continue this pattern in the next several verses, "To you, O God, belong, but to us are sin." God is as great, we are confessed as broken. I want you to think about this for a moment, because what's our reaction to sin? You see, in our confession of sin, I think this prayer should grab our hearts, because our tendency so often is to minimize our sin, but to magnify the sin of others. Mine's not a big deal, but theirs sure is. How many times, when we get in trouble, do we immediately say, "Well, what about this person?" Or, "At least I didn't do that."

Frequently, we accuse others, while at the same time making excuses for our sin. We justify it, we deflect it, we compare it, and we're like, "Thank you, God, that I'm not like other men," while at the same time living in the same way. Daniel doesn't do any of those things. He doesn't try to justify it. He doesn't accuse others. He doesn't deflect it. He doesn't compare. Think about how he could have prayed, "Lord, they've sinned, but I've remained faithful." He could have pointed to his obedience under the decades of Babylonian rule, compared himself to the idolatry of the nations that surrounded him, even comparing himself to his own people, but he doesn't do that. He places himself in the midst of his people, and his prayer is filled with language that is together, language of we and us. Verse 5, "We have sinned and done wrong." Verse 7, "To us,

O Lord, belong open shame." Verse 10, "We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord." Verse 11, "All Israel has transgressed your law." Daniel stands before God not as an exception, but as one of his people, broken, humbled, and dependent upon mercy. We'll get there in a minute, but it points toward another one who comes and stands in the midst of his people and takes the weight of their sin upon his shoulders, right? True confession doesn't compare. It identifies. It doesn't minimize. It agrees with the guilty verdict. It doesn't bargain, but it surrenders. There's more to confession. One more confession we see here. We see God's greatness, we see our sin, but there is a confession of helplessness. Maybe another way of saying this is that we can't do it. Listen in verse 18. "Oh my God, incline your ear in here, open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name,

for we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy." Daniel here confesses their inability to do what needs to be done. "We are not righteous, but you are." One of my favorite prayers in all of the Old Testament. King Jehoshaphat is surrounded, 2 Chronicles 20. Surrounded by an army that is stronger, bigger, and meaner than anything that he can muster. And do you know what he does? He goes and he stands before God, and he prays this. "Oh God, will you not execute judgment on them, for we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us." Now here's the part that should grab our hearts. "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you." I can't tell you how much I have prayed that last part of the prayer through ministry, through this week.

"We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on you." It's about God's greatness, our brokenness, and running to him for help. That's exactly what Daniel confesses. "We're not righteous, but we will run to the one who is." And so the question is, where are you running? Are you running the wrong way? Are you running toward your strength and your goodness and your assumed righteousness? Or are you running toward God? Now some of you, you may not be running away, and you may be going in the right kind of direction, but you're taking the road through the hills and the thorns, and across the rivers and through the muddy plains. And one of the things that Daniel chapter 9 does for us is that it calls us to see God's greatness, to truly acknowledge our sinful brokenness,

and to throw our lives upon his goodness. And so what we find now is that Daniel, in the midst of this, something radically changes. And I will say this: the doorway to comfort always begins with humility. Daniel's prayer doesn't end with despair, but with dependence. He has nothing to offer God but honesty. And so God responds to him. And in the middle of our brokenness, just hear these words. It began in verse 20. While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of the people of Israel, presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of God while I was speaking in prayer. So I don't know if you've gotten this, but Daniel's praying. He's making sure we understand that. The man Gabriel, remember we met him last week,

whom I had seen in a vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. Here's what Gabriel does. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, "Oh, Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy, a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you." Listen to what he says, "For you are greatly loved. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision." Daniel has been rooted in the Word of God. He's been pouring out his heart in prayer. He's been looking to God's greatness and goodness. He's been confessing his sin. And look at what happens before he's even done praying. As he starts praying, God sends an answer to him. And the message is this. It's not a list.

Here, Daniel, let me give you a checklist. Here's some tips on how to do better and be better. The message begins like this. Four words: "You are greatly loved." Daniel comes in in brokenness and in sackcloth and ashes, fasting, pouring out his sin before God. And the message from God begins like this: "You are greatly loved." Even when we are far from where we think God's mercy dwells, his love reaches even into Babylon and into the empire that is now the Medes and the Persians. The same God who exposes our sin in his mercy now assures us of his grace. You see, distance, delay, and desolation cannot drown out the love of God. This love is personal. You. This love is great. We use love in a lot of ways. I love pizza. Love my dog. Love my wife.

Hopefully I don't mean the same thing when I say that I love those things. The love here is not small and it is not weak. And notice this love is at work. At the very beginning of the pleas for mercy. Jesus tells us something really similar. Luke chapter 15, it's a story that is encountering those who think that they are good and have trusted in themselves. That's how the chapter begins. Tells the story of a lost coin and a lost sheep and then a lost son. And if we remember that parable of the lost son, which is there are two sons, and they're both lost and they're both broken. But the younger one who's made a wreck of his life, he's turned his back on his father's values and his father's goodness and his father's God.

And he has taken what he has wanted from his father and went off and just spent his life in absolute filth morally and ultimately physically with the pigs. Do you remember what happens at the very end of that? The son is walking home and he's trying to come out of a way to ask his father that maybe he could be a servant. And do you remember how it ends? The father looking out and seeing his son a long way off, ran to him and wraps him up in a hug. Here's Daniel going, "We're broken. We're sinful. We haven't listened. Here is all of our brokenness and all of our sin." And what do you have? As he began speaking, the answer comes, and the answer is this: "You are greatly loved." You see, we've moved from confession to comfort, and now I want to direct us to the fact that there is confidence in the fact that God's plan will not fail.

Daniel has confessed his sin, he's received comfort, but God doesn't stop there. Let me just give you a glimpse of the 70 weeks that are decreed about your people and your holy city to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet to anoint a most holy place. Through Gabriel, Daniel is given a vision that isn't just like two weeks, three weeks ahead of him, but this reaches centuries into the future. The heart of the message of Daniel's 70 weeks, this vision that God gives him, is one of God's power and His perfect timing. And there is so much we can say about this, and we can spend so much time doing that. But I want to direct you this morning, rather than unpacking every detail, I want you to direct you to how God, through this prophecy, answers Daniel's prayer.

In verses 18 and 19, Daniel says, "Incline your ear in here, open your eyes, and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name." How does God answer that prayer? Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and profit, and to anoint a most holy place. Daniel prays for forgiveness and an end to sin, and he's thinking about Jerusalem and about the temple and God's holy hill

and God's people, and God says, "I'm going to do something better than that." I'm going to put an end to sin. I'm going to atone for iniquity, and I am going to bring in an everlasting righteousness. You've prayed for restoration. Let me show you that not on a Jerusalem scale, but in the scale of a good news, of great joy, that will be for all people. Every line of the prophecy that follows points forward to a day when a true sacrifice would be offered once for all. What Daniel sees in the gospel, we can see fulfilled in the light of the gospel. We don't have time to deal with every detail, every wondrous and powerful and specific detail of this, but the God who rules over empires is the God who rules over your redemption.

So our confidence rests in God's plan, not our understanding of it. Our hope is not in avoiding desolation, but in God's promise to end it. Our call is to live faithfully between the promise and the fulfillment. You see, Christ has made atonement. Righteousness has been secured. And we wait for the full consummation of the kingdom, and we live in confidence because the same hand that gives Daniel this vision still holds us now. And as Daniel's prayer ends, he doesn't yet see the rebelling of the Jerusalem. He doesn't see the end to exile yet, or the restoration of the temple, or the fulfillment of these promises and visions, but he sees something that's greater, the faithfulness of God who rules history. And so here's the question for you. What are you doing? This is a question that kind of depends on how you're asking it.

This is a question that this week I have asked two dogs, several horses, a rabbit, and my children, right? It's a question, I go, "What are you doing, right? I'm filling up a water trough for a thirsty horse." And they walk over and pull the hose right out of it, right? The dogs look at the trash and go, "Look, it's a gourmet meal, and we've made it ourselves. Welcome to my unboxing. Today we're going to unbox this bag of trash." And I look at them and I go, "What are you doing?" There's an answer, a way to ask this question that's kind of like, "I don't think that's a good idea." Or maybe sometimes we're like, "What do you think you're doing?" I always knew I was in trouble when I heard this, "What do you think that you are doing?"

Maybe that's what your heart needs to hear this morning. Maybe from me. Maybe you need to look at yourself and go, "What do you think I'm doing?" What do you think you're doing, self? Are you running in your own strength, living in your own sins, seeking your own righteousness and your own good works, finding comfort in your own plans? Maybe you need to look at your heart and go, "What are you doing?" Maybe it's time to turn around and run to the One who forgives and who loves, and He holds all things, including your life, in His hands. So there's one way of asking this question that's a call to repentance, right? Stop doing that, basically. What are you doing means maybe don't do that. Now there's another way of asking this question, "What are you doing?"

that seeks to be involved in this. And so Rachel got back this morning after spending a very long night away. She was making some breakfast sandwiches, and because she is full of love and grace, she brings me a breakfast sandwich. I sit there, and Ranger comes over and goes, "Hey buddy, what you doing?" Right? And it's not a question of judgment, but it's a question of I'd really like to be involved in this sandwich situation that you have growing on here, right? And maybe you have had this with kids or grandkids, where you're in the middle of something, and they come up and they go, "What are you doing?" And they're not asking you in judgment, but they're saying, "Hey, I'd love to be a part." You're not a part of fixing this, or painting this, or doing whatever it is you're doing.

There's a way of asking this question, "What are you doing?" that expresses to us, "I want to be part of that." And so maybe what needs to happen in your life this morning is you need to look to God and go, "What are you doing? I want to be part of that. I want to share that breakfast sandwich with the same enthusiasm that Ranger does." Here's Daniel, far from home, in exile, surrounded by false religion, and he has suffered. Let me show you what God is doing. While I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at first, came to me in a swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. A sacrifice in the temple that occurred in the morning and in the evening. When Daniel prays against the rules, he'll pray both three times a day, the morning sacrifice in the midday and at the evening sacrifice.

Here's the crazy thing: there has not been an evening sacrifice in the temple for decades. The temple is in ruins, the altar is gone, Daniel is hundreds of miles away, but yet it's mentioned here specifically that this happens at the time of the evening sacrifice. You see, Daniel is still praying decades later in that same rhythm of faithfulness and forgiveness and of atonement. Even in exile, he remembers the time when the lamb will be brought to the altar and sacrificed for the people. Though far from Jerusalem, Daniel's heart is still turning toward the mercy seat. This is not new for Daniel. Back in chapter 6, he opens his windows and three times a day turns his heart toward Jerusalem. Now, even in his old age, the same pattern holds. His life revolves around God's providence, promises of mercy.

And Daniel can't offer a sacrifice, but he prays to the one who knows that forgiveness only comes through sacrifice. God is at work. Not just at the picture of this sacrifice in the temple. That's the promise that we just saw. Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness. God is about to provide a sacrifice that ends sin and brings everlasting righteousness. It won't be long before there is a decree issued to rebel Jerusalem, and these weeks and these years begin to pass. And you come to this place. And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. Do you know when the evening sacrifice was offered in the temple?

It was at the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani," which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" A few verses later, Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last, and the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion stood facing him, he saw in the way he breathed his last, and he said, "Truly, this man is the Son of God." At the time of the evening sacrifice, the one who comes, he doesn't just repent on behalf of his people like Daniel does, but he takes their place and he dies for their sins. Putting an end to sin and bringing in an everlasting righteousness. Like, he's our hope. He's the one we confess as Lord. He's the one who comforts us.

And it's in him we find confidence. Father, forgive us for where we have chased after worthless things. Encourage us with your grace and your goodness. Remind us that in all the weeks and in all the years and in all the nations that your plan holds fast. And direct us toward your Son. It's in his name we pray. Amen. So wherever we find ourselves this morning, which is from a lot of different places and a lot of different situations, the call for us to turn our eyes to where our salvation is found. So we're going to stand and we're going to sing "Turn Our Eyes." So let's go ahead and be standing.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely. In the light of His glory and grace. Turn your eyes to the hillside. Where justice and mercy embrace. There the Son of God gives. He will save His life for us. And our measureless death was erased. Jesus, to You we lift our eyes. Jesus, our glory and our Christ. We adore You. Behold You. Our Savior and Savior. Be your ever true. Oh Jesus, we turn our eyes to You. Turn your eyes to the morning. And see Christ the Lord. Turn your eyes away. What a glorious dawn. Fear of death is gone. For we carry His life in our veins. Jesus, to You we lift our rise. Jesus, our glory and our prize. We adore You, behold You, our Savior ever true. Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to You.

Turn your eyes to the heavens. Our King will return for His own. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will shout. All glory to Jesus, Lord. Jesus, to You, You lift our eyes. Jesus, our glory and our prize. We adore You, behold You, our Savior ever true. Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to You. Jesus, to You we lift our eyes. Jesus, our glory and our prize. We adore You, behold You, our Savior ever true. Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to You. Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to You. We are thankful that you are here with us this morning. We'll be back Wednesday night at 6 p.m. next Sunday. In addition to continuing on in Daniel, we will be one of our monthly children's churches. We have it on the 2nd and the 4th Sunday of each month. Also upcoming, I tried to get an in-between

children's church and not too close to Thanksgiving. On the 16th, we're going to have a fellowship meal after our service. Kind of a time specifically devoted to encouragement and thankfulness. We want to share a meal together. The church is going to provide the main course. You're welcome to bring a side dish to share. We'll have a sign-up sheet up next Sunday. On the table in the back. And so that's what's happening over the next several Sundays. I want to go ahead and pray. And then we're going to read a Scripture, and we'll sing the doxology. Father in heaven, we thank you for your goodness and your grace. We thank you so much for your people. Thank you that you have loved us, that you have brought us together. And may you go with us, strengthening us for the work that you would have us to do. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Paul writes this in 2 Thessalonians 2:16, "Now may the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and our God and Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, may He comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word." So, church, as you go, it is my prayer that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, the one who has loved us with an everlasting love, may He fill your heart with a comfort that does not fade, a hope that endures in every season. May His grace steady your hands for every good work. May His truth guard your words and guard you as you walk until the day that His kingdom is fully revealed. So we go in peace, resting in His steadfast love and His sovereign grace. Amen. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Father, Son, Holy Ghost.