WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.220 Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Shine Mountain Presbyterian 00:00:08.220 --> 00:00:12.560 Church, and it's my joy to bring God's Word to you today. It's good to be back with you all. I'm 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:18.260 sad that I wasn't able to be here last Sunday, but I appreciate all your prayers, and I'm grateful 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:27.160 to say I never got COVID, so praise God. We are continuing together our series in the book of 00:00:27.160 --> 00:00:32.100 Daniel, and you'll remember that the book of Daniel takes place in the late 7th century, in the 6th 00:00:32.100 --> 00:00:38.039 century, and it tells the story of a man named Daniel. He was a faithful Israelite living in exile 00:00:38.039 --> 00:00:43.240 in Babylon, and so that's my brief summary. Of course, as I've mentioned before, the book also 00:00:43.240 --> 00:00:48.400 provides its own summary. In Daniel chapter 11, verse 32, we're told that the people who know their 00:00:48.400 --> 00:00:54.560 God shall stand firm and take action, and so our hope as we look at this book is that we would stand 00:00:54.560 --> 00:01:01.340 firm and take action as well. You'll remember that the book has two purposes. First, to encourage 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:07.420 God's people that no matter what happens, no matter how bad things get, God is still in control. He still 00:01:07.420 --> 00:01:13.740 rules and reigns over the nations. The book is not just to encourage us, though it's also to instruct us 00:01:13.740 --> 00:01:20.200 how we live faithful lives in a foreign land, and so it's with that we're picking up in Daniel chapter 9. 00:01:20.200 --> 00:01:25.439 The last time we were in the book of Daniel, Mark Bates came, and he started chapter 9 for us, 00:01:25.480 --> 00:01:28.900 preaching the first half, and you'll remember he asked this question, what's our motivation 00:01:28.900 --> 00:01:35.579 to pray? And he gave two answers. We're motivated to pray by our need, and we're also motivated to pray 00:01:35.579 --> 00:01:41.960 by God's mercy. Our motivation, though, for prayer, our need, and God's mercy is only the first half of 00:01:41.960 --> 00:01:47.579 the story. We're now looking at the second half where we see not the prayer itself, but God's answer 00:01:47.579 --> 00:01:53.179 to that prayer. If you'll remember in chapter 9, the beginning, Daniel's request was that God would 00:01:53.179 --> 00:02:00.879 restore him, his people, the people of Israel, and he'd also restore Jerusalem. Of course, if you've 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:06.739 been a Christian for any length of time, you know that's similar often to our request. We also long 00:02:06.739 --> 00:02:13.379 and pray for God's restoration. We look for his restoration in all sorts of places where we want 00:02:13.379 --> 00:02:19.219 him to heal what's been lost and destroyed by sin in our lives, in our world, in our families. And so 00:02:19.219 --> 00:02:24.979 we know what it's like to plead with God in prayer, much like Daniel knew. We know what it's like to 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:31.659 plead for the church in America or around the world, or maybe our church. We know that it could be so much 00:02:31.659 --> 00:02:37.460 more, and so we ask that God would restore it and strengthen it. We know what it's like to pray for 00:02:37.460 --> 00:02:43.960 restoration when our marriage is a mess, asking that God would come and heal what we can't heal 00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:51.500 for ourselves, that he'd repair what's been twisted and distorted. We know what it's like to pray for 00:02:51.500 --> 00:02:56.840 family and friends when our relationships with them are strained, maybe even more than strained, 00:02:56.920 --> 00:03:03.319 we're estranged from them. And we know what it's like, many of us, to pray for our adult children, 00:03:03.319 --> 00:03:10.759 whether they are actively making foolish decisions or whether other sin is coming in 00:03:10.759 --> 00:03:15.780 and threatening them. And of course, we know what it's like to pray for restoration for ourselves, 00:03:15.919 --> 00:03:22.680 for restoration from addictions, maybe our struggle with anger. We, like Daniel, in other words, look for 00:03:22.680 --> 00:03:29.340 everything in this world to be made good and right and perfect again. And so that's our big question 00:03:29.340 --> 00:03:34.700 this morning. How does God answer our prayers for restoration? What does God's restoration actually 00:03:34.700 --> 00:03:40.340 look like? That's Daniel's prayer in this passage, our prayer as well. We're going to see God's answer 00:03:40.340 --> 00:03:46.099 to Daniel. We're going to see how that looks in our own lives. Now, I mentioned that Mark Bates, when he 00:03:46.099 --> 00:03:52.199 preached, had two points. He also had, you might have picked up on it, a secret third point. And his secret 00:03:52.199 --> 00:03:56.960 third point was just his joy and delight in the fact that I would be the one preaching the second half of 00:03:56.960 --> 00:04:02.400 Daniel 9. Now, he was correct in the fact that this is one of the most complicated and controversial 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:09.219 passages in all of the Bible. And so here's our strategy going in. I am not going to untangle every 00:04:09.219 --> 00:04:15.219 knot for you. Okay, there's things in here that have been debated throughout the history of the church. 00:04:15.659 --> 00:04:20.259 I'm going to keep us focused on this question of healing and restoration. So we're not going to go down 00:04:20.259 --> 00:04:25.160 every bunny trail. I'm not going to give you every possible interpretation for this throughout the history 00:04:25.160 --> 00:04:30.600 of the church. I know for some of you, that's a relief. For others of you, you're disappointed in 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:36.120 this moment. If you want to dig more into all the details of Daniel chapter 9, there's a variety of 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:41.300 resources that you can look into. One of them that I recommend is the section in the ESV Study Bible 00:04:41.300 --> 00:04:48.020 about this passage. And so it's with this, remember our question, what does God do when we cry out 00:04:48.020 --> 00:04:53.600 for his mercy, much like Daniel did? And with that, that I invite you to turn with me to Daniel chapter 9, 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:58.720 starting at verse 20. You can turn in your physical Bible, you can turn near the end of your worship 00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:03.080 guide, of course you can turn in your phone as well. No matter where you turn, remember that this 00:05:03.080 --> 00:05:09.200 is God's word. And God tells us that his word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. In other 00:05:09.200 --> 00:05:15.420 words, God has not left us to stumble alone in the dark, but instead he's given us his word to show us 00:05:15.420 --> 00:05:18.660 the way to go. And so that's why we read now, starting at verse 20. 00:05:18.660 --> 00:05:25.860 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my 00:05:25.860 --> 00:05:32.820 plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, 00:05:33.080 --> 00:05:38.420 who I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening 00:05:38.420 --> 00:05:45.240 sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, O Daniel, I have now come out to give you 00:05:45.240 --> 00:05:51.340 insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy, a word went out, and I have 00:05:51.340 --> 00:05:57.920 come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the 00:05:57.920 --> 00:06:05.220 vision. Verse 24. Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city to finish the 00:06:05.220 --> 00:06:12.019 transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, 00:06:12.019 --> 00:06:18.899 to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Know therefore and understand 00:06:18.899 --> 00:06:24.680 that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, 00:06:24.839 --> 00:06:31.139 a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares 00:06:31.139 --> 00:06:38.839 and a moat, but in a troubled time. Verse 26. And after the sixty-two weeks an anointed one shall be cut 00:06:38.839 --> 00:06:44.199 off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the 00:06:44.199 --> 00:06:51.439 sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed, 00:06:51.679 --> 00:06:58.799 and he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week. And for half of the week he shall put an end 00:06:58.799 --> 00:07:06.219 to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abomination shall come one who makes desolate, until the 00:07:06.220 --> 00:07:13.840 decreed end is poured out on the desolator. I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of 00:07:13.840 --> 00:07:21.680 God's word. Our Father in heaven, we thank you again for the gift of your word to us, that you care so 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:30.080 much about us, that you want, like a loving Father, to speak carefully and lovingly, to tell us how we're to 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:34.620 live in this world because of your love and your character. And so we ask that you would do that again 00:07:34.620 --> 00:07:41.159 and that you would help us to understand your word, and you'd help us to believe it and know it and live 00:07:41.159 --> 00:07:45.419 it. And we ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 00:07:49.199 --> 00:07:56.039 When I was growing up in southern Maryland, right outside Washington, D.C., we had a two-story house, 00:07:56.040 --> 00:08:02.300 no basement, and all of the bedrooms in the house were in the upstairs except for one. And that ended 00:08:02.300 --> 00:08:08.660 up being my bedroom, which was in the downstairs off in one corner. And I remember one day coming 00:08:08.660 --> 00:08:14.220 into my room, and there on the carpet in one corner of the room, there were these just insects on the 00:08:14.220 --> 00:08:20.320 floor. They didn't look like insects that I had seen before. They seemed to be coming out of the 00:08:20.320 --> 00:08:25.879 baseboards potentially, and over time they increased. There were more of them. And so I went to my 00:08:25.879 --> 00:08:29.620 parents, and I told them, hey, there's these strange insects on the floor. What do you think's 00:08:29.620 --> 00:08:35.159 going on here? Well, turns out we had the gift of an infestation of termites in our house. 00:08:36.379 --> 00:08:41.439 And the great joy. And so when you have termites, thankfully it wasn't very bad. It had not progressed 00:08:41.439 --> 00:08:45.720 very far. And so what do you do when you have termites? Well, you call someone. There's actually 00:08:45.720 --> 00:08:50.519 one of our neighbors who specialized in this. And so he came, and you set up these traps for the 00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:54.580 termites. So they make this hole in the ground. You have this hole system. You have this sort of fake wood, 00:08:54.580 --> 00:08:57.560 I think, that makes the termites think they're eating your house, but actually they're eating 00:08:57.560 --> 00:09:02.240 poison. And so all these were set around the perimeter of our house, and we dealt with the 00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:07.180 termite problem. Now, only problem is you don't really deal with the termite problem. You just 00:09:07.180 --> 00:09:13.120 manage it. And so after this point, we had to have this man on a regular basis come out and check the 00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:19.040 traps, replace the poison as it needed to be replaced. It's this ongoing thing, right? You're always on guard 00:09:19.040 --> 00:09:23.320 after this point to make sure there's no longer termites eating your house, in part because it's so 00:09:23.320 --> 00:09:27.460 destructive, right? Thankfully, we found out about it when we did. It could have been much, much worse. 00:09:27.560 --> 00:09:31.940 So there was nothing in the house that really needed to be repaired or restored. We just needed 00:09:31.940 --> 00:09:37.360 to get rid of the termites. But it was ongoing, right? It became sort of a chronic thing. Now, I want 00:09:37.360 --> 00:09:43.100 you to imagine sort of a different scenario. Imagine that instead of just coming and setting the traps 00:09:43.100 --> 00:09:47.540 and taking care of the termites that were there, the termite eliminator, the man who took care of 00:09:47.540 --> 00:09:52.820 pests, I want you to imagine he came to my parents and he said this, look, yeah, that's true. There's some 00:09:52.820 --> 00:09:57.020 termites here and, you know, we're going to take care of those. But that's actually not what I'm 00:09:57.020 --> 00:10:02.560 really interested in. I have kind of bigger visions here. So actually what I want to do, we will do 00:10:02.560 --> 00:10:06.100 that. We'll take care of that. But I actually want to raise your house down. I want to destroy the whole 00:10:06.100 --> 00:10:11.940 house. And then I want to rebuild it. We're just going to, you know, you just imagine your dream house 00:10:11.940 --> 00:10:16.880 and we're going to make it for you. And then, you know, you have these termite problems that you're 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:23.159 managing. I think I have kind of a solution to it. Instead of us setting these traps, how about we 00:10:23.159 --> 00:10:30.639 team up? We'll just get rid of termites, all termites. We will eliminate termites as a species 00:10:30.639 --> 00:10:36.299 just around the world. They'll no longer exist. So you won't have to worry about it anymore. And, 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:41.799 you know, while we're at that, I think it would be a good idea for us to eliminate not just termites, 00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:47.379 but all pests. You know, because why should I have to transition from termites to something else? So 00:10:47.379 --> 00:10:53.839 let's get rid of hornets while we're at it. Just all hornets are gone. Okay. Maybe we should get 00:10:53.839 --> 00:10:59.159 rid of all mice. They're kind of pests, right? Let's just get rid of all of it. I mean, this is just kind 00:10:59.159 --> 00:11:03.279 of like a small thing, right? It just feels like we're not doing enough to get rid of the termites 00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:08.059 around your house. Now it's going to take a long time. I kind of have like a 10, 20-year vision for what 00:11:08.059 --> 00:11:12.899 this is going to look like, the elimination of the termites as a species and the redoing of your 00:11:12.899 --> 00:11:17.099 house. But you know what? It's going to be worth it. It's going to be good. Well, what would my parents 00:11:17.099 --> 00:11:24.319 do at that point? What would you do at that point? Probably be in shock, right? I think this person's 00:11:24.319 --> 00:11:28.500 crazy, right? They're suggesting something that's impossible. How in the world would you be able to 00:11:28.500 --> 00:11:33.759 get rid of all these things? Well, as we come to this passage this morning, that's similar to what is 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:39.319 happening right now between Daniel and God. Daniel, remember, was reading the book of Jeremiah. He 00:11:39.319 --> 00:11:43.779 knows that the exile is coming to an end, and so he's praying to God that he'd restore the people 00:11:43.779 --> 00:11:49.419 from exile. God comes back to him and says, you know what? That's great. I'll restore you from exile. 00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:55.720 Also, I have much bigger dreams than that. I'm going to tell you not about what's going to happen at the 00:11:55.720 --> 00:12:00.960 end of 70 years. I mean, yeah, the exile is coming to an end. That's true. We'll bring you back. But let's 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:06.660 actually talk about the history of the rest of the world. And you know what? There's some sin, right? 00:12:06.780 --> 00:12:11.240 Sin has caused you to be in this exile. Let's just get rid of all sin. How about that? 00:12:13.060 --> 00:12:20.040 There's this overwhelming message that God gives here that is much greater than what Daniel is 00:12:20.040 --> 00:12:25.560 looking for or expecting. Yes, I'm going to grant your request. I'm going to answer your prayer. 00:12:25.559 --> 00:12:30.099 And I'm going to give you so much more. Here's the catch, though. 00:12:31.519 --> 00:12:34.959 And this is where we're going to come. We're going to stay focused on these two points this morning. 00:12:35.079 --> 00:12:39.899 It is going to be much longer than you expect, this answer that I'm giving you. 00:12:40.359 --> 00:12:46.399 It's also going to be much better than you expect. It's going to be much longer than you want or expect. 00:12:47.019 --> 00:12:52.500 It's going to be much better than you want or expect. I am giving you what you've asked for 00:12:52.500 --> 00:12:58.139 and so much more. And so first of all, it's going to be much longer than Daniel expected. 00:12:58.220 --> 00:13:02.360 And I remember Daniel's praying here. Verse 20, we're given a summary of his prayer. He's confessing 00:13:02.360 --> 00:13:07.679 his sin and he's pleading before the Lord for the holy hill of Israel or the holy hill of my God. 00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:12.620 In other words, he's pleading for Jerusalem that God would restore them there. And he doesn't just 00:13:12.620 --> 00:13:17.220 receive an answer. He actually receives a messenger. So Gabriel comes to talk to him and tell him 00:13:17.220 --> 00:13:24.660 about what's going to happen. And he gives him in verse 24, this number, 70 weeks are decreed about 00:13:24.660 --> 00:13:31.040 your people and your holy city. Now, there's been a lot of debate about what's going on with the 70 00:13:31.040 --> 00:13:34.540 weeks. And I'm going to present it to you in this way. Remember, as we come to the end here, 00:13:35.040 --> 00:13:40.000 Daniel 1 through 6 is the story of Daniel's life. Daniel 7 through 12 are Daniel's vision. So we're 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:44.320 dealing with what's called apocalyptic literature. We're dealing with literature that talks often about 00:13:44.320 --> 00:13:48.480 the end of the world, how God's going to restore his people. And so when we come into this type of 00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:56.120 literature, we expect to find numbers that are very symbolic. In fact, I believe what's going on here 00:13:56.120 --> 00:14:03.000 in this passage is a symbolic number. So he's telling him there is going to be 70 weeks. Some people 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:10.940 interpret this even to be 7 times 10. And if you take it as a week, then in terms of days, it's 7 times 7 times 00:14:10.940 --> 00:14:16.560 10. So 7 is a perfect number. 10 is a perfect number. You're coming up ultimately with 490 days. 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:23.860 Some people think it's 490 years. And if you're suspicious with the idea of numbers being symbolic 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:28.120 or the idea of prophecy, the idea of numbers working in this way, I want you to remember, 00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:33.620 and many scholars point to this when they talk about this passage, Jesus uses this same kind of math. 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:37.300 And he does it in Matthew chapter 18 when someone comes and asks him, 00:14:37.299 --> 00:14:41.039 How many times must I forgive my brother? Do I forgive him 7 times? 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:45.399 And Jesus says, No. You forgive your brother 00:14:45.399 --> 00:14:48.539 70 times 7. 00:14:49.159 --> 00:14:52.500 So Jesus is saying you forgive your brother 490 times. 00:14:52.939 --> 00:14:56.659 Now everyone who reads that passage knows Jesus is not saying 00:14:56.659 --> 00:15:01.439 that you pull out a sheet of notebook paper and you start making check marks every time you forgive your brother. 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:01.859 Right? 00:15:01.859 --> 00:15:07.259 If you live with your brother, kids, you know this, so 490, if you forgave your brother once a day, 00:15:07.299 --> 00:15:11.319 you would be finished with all your necessary forgiveness in under two years. 00:15:12.279 --> 00:15:14.539 And at that point, you don't have to forgive your brother anymore. Right? 00:15:14.579 --> 00:15:15.839 You're done. You can just condemn him. 00:15:17.059 --> 00:15:19.559 Well, of course, that's not what Jesus is saying. Right? 00:15:19.579 --> 00:15:25.579 He's giving us these symbolic numbers to say there's a complete forgiveness that you have to give. 00:15:26.259 --> 00:15:26.459 Okay? 00:15:26.500 --> 00:15:29.099 So we know that we're familiar with that in the New Testament. 00:15:29.099 --> 00:15:33.039 I want you to take that familiarity and bring it over into the Old Testament with me. 00:15:33.039 --> 00:15:33.480 Okay? 00:15:34.039 --> 00:15:38.599 Then this vision, God is saying to Daniel through Gabriel, 00:15:39.399 --> 00:15:43.500 all of these things are going to happen in a complete period. 00:15:43.679 --> 00:15:49.039 These things are, in other words, going to take the rest of the history of the world. 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:56.959 You're concerned with the fact that the 70 years of exile are coming to an end and you're looking to return. 00:15:57.579 --> 00:16:01.379 That's interesting and we'll deal with that also the rest of world history. 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:03.000 Okay? 00:16:03.439 --> 00:16:10.059 And so he breaks the rest of world history down into these three different periods of time. 00:16:10.120 --> 00:16:10.259 Right? 00:16:10.299 --> 00:16:11.799 You want the restoration of Israel. 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:13.939 I want to talk about the rest of time. 00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:17.479 So I'm going to tell you a story about what the rest of time looks like. 00:16:17.659 --> 00:16:19.339 And that's what we're going to see in these next few verses. 00:16:19.500 --> 00:16:20.899 And it's broken up into three units. 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:22.979 I'm going to go through this with you all very briefly. 00:16:23.579 --> 00:16:26.240 Remember, our goal is not to unravel or untangle every knot. 00:16:26.779 --> 00:16:29.899 But we see in verse 7, there's seven weeks. 00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:30.959 This is period one. 00:16:31.519 --> 00:16:33.459 And these seven weeks, what I believe is going on here, 00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:37.019 is he's talking about their return from exile and rebuilding the temple. 00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:37.939 Okay? 00:16:38.240 --> 00:16:39.500 That's what Daniel's interested in. 00:16:39.500 --> 00:16:41.460 So, hey, Daniel, your prayer that you're interested in, 00:16:41.700 --> 00:16:43.259 we'll take care of that in the first seven weeks. 00:16:43.379 --> 00:16:43.539 Okay? 00:16:43.700 --> 00:16:46.460 But we have this whole other series of time we need to go into. 00:16:46.580 --> 00:16:50.120 So verse 25 again, now we have period two, 62 weeks. 00:16:50.600 --> 00:16:54.220 This is the period of time Israel's under the rule of foreign nations. 00:16:54.259 --> 00:16:54.500 Okay? 00:16:54.559 --> 00:16:55.580 Including Roman rule. 00:16:56.100 --> 00:16:58.220 So that's what we understand to be happening 00:16:58.220 --> 00:17:03.159 when we're told that it's going to occur in a troubled time. 00:17:03.159 --> 00:17:04.339 That's the very end of 25. 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:07.119 And then in verses 26 and 27, 00:17:07.119 --> 00:17:09.419 Oh, Christ is going to come. 00:17:10.039 --> 00:17:11.359 There's going to be the end of evil. 00:17:11.500 --> 00:17:12.519 So look with me quickly. 00:17:13.319 --> 00:17:14.019 Verse 26, 00:17:14.659 --> 00:17:16.659 An anointed one shall be cut off. 00:17:17.479 --> 00:17:17.679 Okay? 00:17:17.739 --> 00:17:18.500 So this is Jesus. 00:17:18.719 --> 00:17:20.959 His cutting off is the fact that he's going to be killed. 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:22.059 He shall have nothing. 00:17:22.159 --> 00:17:24.000 Of course, we know this is true of Jesus on the cross. 00:17:24.279 --> 00:17:24.439 Right? 00:17:24.519 --> 00:17:25.299 He has nothing. 00:17:25.399 --> 00:17:26.919 All his clothes are taken away from him. 00:17:28.359 --> 00:17:30.019 And then we're told after that, 00:17:30.099 --> 00:17:31.039 some things are going to happen. 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:33.479 Verse 27, 00:17:33.480 --> 00:17:36.079 We see then the end of the world, 00:17:36.180 --> 00:17:36.799 the end of evil. 00:17:37.140 --> 00:17:38.559 Verses 26 and 27. 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:41.779 So we have all of world history broken into these three points. 00:17:41.860 --> 00:17:42.740 Return from exile, 00:17:43.319 --> 00:17:45.220 time after exile until Christ, 00:17:45.799 --> 00:17:48.200 time of Christ until the end of the world. 00:17:49.700 --> 00:17:49.900 Okay? 00:17:49.900 --> 00:17:52.980 I've just gone through about 300 pages of academic articles for you. 00:17:54.279 --> 00:17:55.799 There's a vision of the world here. 00:17:56.220 --> 00:17:58.640 This is what the rest of history looks like. 00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:01.240 And so for us this morning, 00:18:01.300 --> 00:18:04.400 as we look at God's answers to prayers for restoration, 00:18:04.540 --> 00:18:05.420 the point is this. 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:06.920 Full healing, 00:18:07.140 --> 00:18:09.080 full restoration takes time. 00:18:10.280 --> 00:18:10.420 Okay? 00:18:10.520 --> 00:18:12.300 Full healing takes time. 00:18:12.900 --> 00:18:13.240 In fact, 00:18:13.320 --> 00:18:15.259 we know this intuitively. 00:18:15.600 --> 00:18:15.680 Right? 00:18:15.740 --> 00:18:20.360 There's a principle that you can manage the symptoms of something much faster 00:18:20.360 --> 00:18:21.600 than you can deal with the disease. 00:18:21.700 --> 00:18:22.520 So I'll give you an example. 00:18:23.140 --> 00:18:24.900 I have terrible allergies. 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:26.360 Terrible. 00:18:26.520 --> 00:18:26.720 In fact, 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:29.900 one time I went to get tested and the person who tested me told me, 00:18:30.059 --> 00:18:32.039 you should not lie down in grass. 00:18:32.620 --> 00:18:33.220 And I asked him, 00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:33.360 well, 00:18:33.360 --> 00:18:34.400 what would happen if I lied down, 00:18:34.460 --> 00:18:35.079 lay down in grass? 00:18:35.180 --> 00:18:35.279 Well, 00:18:35.299 --> 00:18:35.880 you might die. 00:18:36.720 --> 00:18:36.960 Okay? 00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:40.519 I can manage those symptoms very easily. 00:18:40.660 --> 00:18:42.120 I can manage them in a matter of minutes. 00:18:42.120 --> 00:18:43.319 I take a Zyrtec, 00:18:43.600 --> 00:18:44.680 do some nasal spray. 00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:45.640 I go on with my day. 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:46.100 Okay? 00:18:46.940 --> 00:18:48.960 Symptoms are not challenging often. 00:18:49.559 --> 00:18:49.720 Now, 00:18:49.819 --> 00:18:52.299 what if I wanted to eliminate my allergies forever? 00:18:54.620 --> 00:18:55.100 Years. 00:18:55.860 --> 00:18:56.140 Right? 00:18:56.140 --> 00:18:58.020 It would take a long time. 00:18:58.640 --> 00:18:59.600 The more, 00:18:59.980 --> 00:19:01.300 the fuller the healing, 00:19:01.820 --> 00:19:03.220 the longer the restoration. 00:19:04.120 --> 00:19:04.300 Okay? 00:19:04.520 --> 00:19:06.580 The more serious the disease, 00:19:06.820 --> 00:19:08.020 the longer the restoration. 00:19:08.360 --> 00:19:10.580 I can get over a cold in a matter of days. 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:10.840 Right? 00:19:11.240 --> 00:19:12.360 You come to me tomorrow, 00:19:12.460 --> 00:19:14.000 you tell me I've been diagnosed with cancer. 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:15.480 That's a very different situation. 00:19:16.380 --> 00:19:16.560 Okay? 00:19:17.140 --> 00:19:20.680 So there's something that we know intuitively in life. 00:19:20.680 --> 00:19:25.019 The same is true for God's restoration of this world. 00:19:26.019 --> 00:19:31.380 He is looking for a larger and greater and bigger restoration than we can want or imagine. 00:19:31.779 --> 00:19:35.360 It will take more time than we want or expect. 00:19:35.359 --> 00:19:40.259 God's healing takes time. 00:19:40.740 --> 00:19:43.240 We want evil to be fully destroyed. 00:19:43.639 --> 00:19:47.039 It's going to be better than we imagine and longer than we want. 00:19:47.199 --> 00:19:49.599 Same is true for us in our individual lives. 00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:54.959 It's transformation and change are a long-term process and proposition. 00:19:54.960 --> 00:19:59.220 You know this if you've been a Christian for any amount of time. 00:20:00.380 --> 00:20:03.100 Struggle with sin is real and ongoing. 00:20:04.039 --> 00:20:06.700 We see growth and we see it slowly. 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:08.380 There's a reason that we're sanctified, 00:20:08.500 --> 00:20:11.420 that God continues to change us throughout our lives. 00:20:12.920 --> 00:20:14.340 And so for us, don't lose heart. 00:20:16.079 --> 00:20:18.279 Be patient with yourself. 00:20:19.299 --> 00:20:20.920 Be patient with others. 00:20:21.620 --> 00:20:23.200 Be patient with God. 00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:24.200 Be patient with others. 00:20:25.140 --> 00:20:31.380 Now, I'm not trying to hyper-individualize something that Daniel's receiving here as a picture of the world. 00:20:31.460 --> 00:20:32.620 It's true for us as individuals. 00:20:32.740 --> 00:20:34.900 It's also true for what Daniel's looking for, right? 00:20:35.880 --> 00:20:41.759 We live in a world with oppressive and evil and wicked systems, right, and governments. 00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:44.200 God's at work. 00:20:45.500 --> 00:20:47.620 And he's not going to work on our timetable. 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:51.519 God is bringing full and final healing. 00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:55.180 It's going to take longer than we want, right? 00:20:55.240 --> 00:20:56.799 He is changing us. 00:20:56.879 --> 00:20:57.960 He is changing the world. 00:20:58.079 --> 00:20:59.859 He is making right what is wrong. 00:21:01.859 --> 00:21:03.039 And we have to wait. 00:21:05.299 --> 00:21:07.920 70 weeks, right, the rest of world history. 00:21:08.359 --> 00:21:09.440 You want God to judge the wicked? 00:21:10.139 --> 00:21:11.000 It's going to take time. 00:21:11.879 --> 00:21:15.299 You have a friend or a family member who has walked away from the Lord, 00:21:15.299 --> 00:21:17.039 and you're praying for God to bring them back. 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:20.419 It's going to take time, right? 00:21:20.980 --> 00:21:23.539 You want freedom from the addiction in your life. 00:21:24.119 --> 00:21:25.279 It's going to take time. 00:21:26.940 --> 00:21:28.559 God's time is not our time. 00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:31.200 I read an article, I think it was yesterday, 00:21:31.899 --> 00:21:35.559 about the pressure that a lot of individual retailers are feeling, 00:21:35.639 --> 00:21:39.379 especially small businesses, because they're in competition with Amazon. 00:21:39.779 --> 00:21:45.379 And Amazon has set this expectation for consumers that you need to receive something the next day or in two days. 00:21:46.179 --> 00:21:49.700 And so now our demands have changed. 00:21:49.779 --> 00:21:53.679 You know, if you ordered something in 1995 and you had to wait two weeks to get it, 00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:55.380 I mean, yeah, that's kind of what you expect, right? 00:21:56.240 --> 00:21:58.840 Well, now everyone demands it has to be two days. 00:21:58.920 --> 00:22:00.880 And so these small businesses are trying to figure out, 00:22:00.980 --> 00:22:02.779 what in the world are we going to do to compete with Amazon? 00:22:03.720 --> 00:22:03.940 Right? 00:22:03.980 --> 00:22:05.060 We want things fast. 00:22:05.120 --> 00:22:05.799 We want it now. 00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:10.160 Brothers and sisters, God is not trying to compete with Amazon. 00:22:13.220 --> 00:22:17.279 He does not provide two-day shipping on healing and restoration. 00:22:19.360 --> 00:22:19.720 Okay? 00:22:19.720 --> 00:22:24.420 His timetable is unaffected by the expectations of our world. 00:22:24.539 --> 00:22:25.180 God doesn't care. 00:22:25.620 --> 00:22:27.140 I mean, he cares about you and us, right? 00:22:27.400 --> 00:22:30.900 But he is not, he doesn't care about what Amazon's doing with two-day shipping. 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:33.180 He's not changing his pace based on that. 00:22:34.120 --> 00:22:34.279 Okay? 00:22:34.460 --> 00:22:35.319 The Lord is in heaven. 00:22:35.500 --> 00:22:36.039 He laughs. 00:22:36.900 --> 00:22:38.059 And yet we have to remember, 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:39.940 we are people who live in that culture. 00:22:40.100 --> 00:22:41.559 We're affected by that expectation. 00:22:42.160 --> 00:22:43.200 And so more and more, 00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:45.799 we live in a Western world that wants two-day shipping, 00:22:45.799 --> 00:22:47.220 and God says instead, 00:22:48.100 --> 00:22:49.120 it'll be 70 years. 00:22:50.299 --> 00:22:54.220 It's going to take the rest of world history for me to accomplish my purposes. 00:22:56.079 --> 00:22:58.779 And so when we look to God and his healing, 00:22:58.900 --> 00:23:02.460 it is going to take longer than we expect. 00:23:03.799 --> 00:23:08.000 Of course, all of this is pointing back for us to verse 24, 00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:11.240 because it's not just going to take longer than we expect, 00:23:11.360 --> 00:23:13.900 it's also going to be better than we expect. 00:23:14.140 --> 00:23:16.059 It's not just going to take longer than we expect, 00:23:16.200 --> 00:23:19.539 it's also going to be better than we expect. 00:23:20.359 --> 00:23:21.299 Many of you, I'm sure, 00:23:21.339 --> 00:23:23.619 are familiar with the concept of a bucket list. 00:23:24.399 --> 00:23:27.559 And a bucket list is just a list of things that you want to accomplish 00:23:27.559 --> 00:23:30.220 before maybe a certain period in time, 00:23:30.299 --> 00:23:31.220 maybe a certain age, 00:23:31.299 --> 00:23:33.700 or you just want to accomplish before the rest of your life. 00:23:33.700 --> 00:23:39.519 So it's popular these days for people to come up with what's called a 30 before 30 list. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:46.039 And that's for extremely young people to figure out what it is they want to do before their 30th birthday. 00:23:46.039 --> 00:23:48.319 And so I'll give you some examples. 00:23:48.440 --> 00:23:51.079 I searched for popular ones, and these appeared over and over. 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:53.259 Things people want to do before they turn 30. 00:23:53.339 --> 00:23:54.000 Adopt a puppy. 00:23:54.680 --> 00:23:55.460 Apparently that's popular. 00:23:56.059 --> 00:23:56.940 Learn a new language. 00:23:57.639 --> 00:23:59.119 A big one was skydiving. 00:24:00.720 --> 00:24:03.440 Hiking the Grand Canyon, apparently, is a big one. 00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:05.279 And then, and I'm not sure why this is on there, 00:24:05.360 --> 00:24:07.980 because you can accomplish this well before 30, karaoke. 00:24:07.980 --> 00:24:18.519 I mention that because verse 24 is God's bucket list before the end of the world. 00:24:19.259 --> 00:24:22.259 God is telling us in verse 24, 00:24:22.819 --> 00:24:25.039 not what he wants to accomplish, 00:24:25.779 --> 00:24:27.460 that's what our bucket lists look like, 00:24:27.660 --> 00:24:31.480 but what he will and has and continues to accomplish. 00:24:32.380 --> 00:24:35.519 God, in other words, has a bucket list. 00:24:35.519 --> 00:24:41.859 God has a clear list of goals for his people and this world. 00:24:42.299 --> 00:24:44.339 Okay, so going back again to Daniel's prayer. 00:24:44.839 --> 00:24:48.039 You want restoration of the city of Jerusalem? 00:24:48.900 --> 00:24:49.680 That's great. 00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:50.740 But you know what? 00:24:50.839 --> 00:24:53.440 My bucket list is a lot longer. 00:24:54.299 --> 00:24:55.819 And here it is, verse 24. 00:24:56.339 --> 00:24:57.660 Why do we need 70 weeks? 00:24:57.680 --> 00:24:58.400 What's going to happen? 00:24:59.180 --> 00:25:00.879 Well, we need to finish transgression. 00:25:01.139 --> 00:25:03.220 We need to put an end to sin, to atone for iniquity, 00:25:03.220 --> 00:25:05.039 to bring in everlasting righteousness, 00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:06.740 to steal both vision and profit, 00:25:07.099 --> 00:25:09.420 and to anoint a most holy place. 00:25:10.940 --> 00:25:12.399 So finish the transgression. 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:16.599 Put an end to sin are both ways of talking about God's work 00:25:16.599 --> 00:25:21.119 to make sure that sin is no longer a problem in this world. 00:25:22.639 --> 00:25:26.859 Sin, when God and as he accomplishes his list, 00:25:27.019 --> 00:25:28.759 will not be a thing anymore. 00:25:29.659 --> 00:25:30.920 There will be no more sin. 00:25:30.920 --> 00:25:34.460 Okay, this is the same as saying, 00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:38.560 we're just going to get rid of termites as a species and all other pests. 00:25:39.320 --> 00:25:41.779 Okay, it's easy to read, hard to do. 00:25:43.000 --> 00:25:46.200 Not only on God's list, though, is he going to put an end to sin, 00:25:46.240 --> 00:25:48.660 he's also going to atone for iniquity. 00:25:49.340 --> 00:25:50.820 This is a way of saying, well, of course, 00:25:50.980 --> 00:25:54.340 it's easy to talk about eliminating sin. 00:25:54.380 --> 00:25:55.100 What do you have to do, though? 00:25:55.100 --> 00:25:56.860 You have to pay the penalty for it. 00:25:56.859 --> 00:25:58.219 Sin is expensive. 00:25:58.679 --> 00:25:59.639 It's costly. 00:26:00.479 --> 00:26:02.319 Atone here is a payment word. 00:26:03.539 --> 00:26:05.740 It's not just that God's going to put an end to sin, 00:26:05.799 --> 00:26:08.219 but he's going to do it by paying for it. 00:26:08.679 --> 00:26:10.579 He's going to atone for iniquity. 00:26:10.779 --> 00:26:12.439 Similar, right, to someone saying to you, 00:26:12.819 --> 00:26:15.219 I'm going to put an end to all debt forever. 00:26:16.419 --> 00:26:17.979 What are you going to have to do to make that happen? 00:26:19.500 --> 00:26:20.319 Someone's got to pay. 00:26:21.500 --> 00:26:21.639 Right? 00:26:22.240 --> 00:26:23.519 So he's going to put an end to sin. 00:26:23.919 --> 00:26:24.859 He's going to pay for it. 00:26:24.859 --> 00:26:29.339 And then, to bring in everlasting righteousness, 00:26:29.899 --> 00:26:32.279 well, what's it going to look like when there's no more sin in the world? 00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:35.519 It's going to look like what we pray for in the Lord's Prayer. 00:26:35.639 --> 00:26:39.500 Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:26:39.599 --> 00:26:41.579 Remember, Jesus tells us he's bringing in the kingdom. 00:26:42.139 --> 00:26:46.219 So there's going to be this world that's going to continue forever 00:26:46.219 --> 00:26:47.719 where there's no sin. 00:26:47.879 --> 00:26:50.679 Sin has had an end put to it, and it's been paid for. 00:26:50.879 --> 00:26:51.899 It's been atoned for. 00:26:51.900 --> 00:26:57.040 There's a variety of ideas about what's meant here by sealing both vision and prophet. 00:26:57.519 --> 00:27:01.360 Some people think this means that it talks about the end of prophecy at Christ's coming. 00:27:01.860 --> 00:27:05.580 Some people think it means the fulfillment of these prophecies. 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:08.519 Regardless, it doesn't change the context of what's come before. 00:27:09.340 --> 00:27:14.700 And many people think here to anoint almost holy place is actually referring to a person. 00:27:14.700 --> 00:27:20.500 So I'm not going to parse all of that for you, but the big idea here is that God's goal, 00:27:20.840 --> 00:27:25.539 his desire, his work, is to finish sin forever in the world, 00:27:25.660 --> 00:27:29.920 and then to bring in the perfect world, the world without sin. 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:35.980 And so again, this is something that is better than we expect. 00:27:36.120 --> 00:27:39.319 When Daniel's praying, he's not thinking in these terms. 00:27:39.319 --> 00:27:42.220 He's not thinking, oh, sin is never going to be a struggle forever. 00:27:43.319 --> 00:27:45.879 God, however, is thinking in these terms. 00:27:47.379 --> 00:27:52.439 And of course, as people who live in the time of the age of the church after the New Testament, 00:27:52.619 --> 00:27:54.579 we understand how these things have been fulfilled. 00:27:55.039 --> 00:28:00.159 We know more than Daniel because we see these fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:28:00.439 --> 00:28:03.539 It's Jesus who comes to put an end to sin. 00:28:03.639 --> 00:28:04.740 How does he do it? 00:28:05.139 --> 00:28:06.960 Well, he's the one who atones for iniquity. 00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:12.000 He atones for iniquity by living the perfect life that we should have lived, 00:28:12.519 --> 00:28:14.460 dying the death that we should have died. 00:28:14.579 --> 00:28:16.880 He pays the debt of our sin. 00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:22.620 He pays the price that it takes to eliminate, to put an end to sin. 00:28:23.880 --> 00:28:25.960 And so we know this in part now, right? 00:28:26.059 --> 00:28:29.400 For those who have faith in Jesus Christ, we know that he has paid for our sin. 00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:32.940 We only know it in part because we still experience sin in the world. 00:28:32.940 --> 00:28:38.380 This is part of how we know the 70 weeks refers to the rest of the world 00:28:38.380 --> 00:28:41.140 because we haven't seen all these things fulfilled yet. 00:28:41.700 --> 00:28:47.039 We know everlasting righteousness is not going to happen until Jesus returns again. 00:28:47.320 --> 00:28:52.960 It is at Jesus' second coming that we will see every item on the bucket list checked off in red. 00:28:52.960 --> 00:28:59.039 And so that's our hope and our longing as Christians. 00:29:01.220 --> 00:29:05.559 And so as we look at all the details and all the things here in Daniel chapter 9, 00:29:05.640 --> 00:29:08.740 the point ultimately for us as Christians is this. 00:29:09.160 --> 00:29:09.940 Hold on. 00:29:11.539 --> 00:29:15.700 The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. 00:29:16.620 --> 00:29:17.920 Hold on. 00:29:18.259 --> 00:29:20.920 Take hope in the fact that this too shall pass. 00:29:20.920 --> 00:29:23.160 It's going to take longer than we want. 00:29:24.019 --> 00:29:25.640 And God's going to put an end to it. 00:29:26.800 --> 00:29:30.560 Take hope in the fact not just that it is going to come to an end, 00:29:30.640 --> 00:29:33.100 not that this too shall pass this current age, 00:29:33.539 --> 00:29:36.000 that all evil will come to an end. 00:29:37.180 --> 00:29:43.420 God is indeed going to put fully and finally sin to an end. 00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:46.460 We don't see it all now. 00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:49.220 That doesn't mean God isn't still at work. 00:29:49.220 --> 00:29:54.700 God is working on a different timetable than we want. 00:29:56.079 --> 00:29:58.920 So God is reminding Daniel and us, 00:29:59.140 --> 00:30:03.200 we stay patient and we stay hopeful. 00:30:04.539 --> 00:30:07.120 We know as slow as it seems at times, 00:30:07.279 --> 00:30:12.319 God is still working in this world to bring all these things true. 00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:15.480 If you're not a Christian, 00:30:16.379 --> 00:30:22.639 God is promising something here that everyone longs for and only he can deliver on. 00:30:23.299 --> 00:30:26.059 Everyone wants evil in this world to end, right? 00:30:26.059 --> 00:30:32.159 And everything that we've looked to as a world to end evil hasn't worked. 00:30:32.480 --> 00:30:34.200 Technology hasn't solved it for us. 00:30:34.879 --> 00:30:36.679 Education hasn't solved it for us. 00:30:37.059 --> 00:30:39.079 Human progress has not solved it for us. 00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:41.659 Science has not solved human evil. 00:30:42.119 --> 00:30:46.339 Only God can bring us what we long for as humans. 00:30:46.339 --> 00:30:52.159 Only he is going to be able to bring in everlasting righteousness. 00:30:52.439 --> 00:30:54.159 Only he can put an end to sin. 00:30:54.339 --> 00:30:57.339 Only God can bring full and final justice. 00:30:58.299 --> 00:31:02.879 He has and he will put an end to evil forever. 00:31:03.119 --> 00:31:06.539 Not just the evil in the world, the evil inside us. 00:31:06.539 --> 00:31:11.359 Because remember, Daniel's prayer was a prayer of confession and repentance. 00:31:11.579 --> 00:31:14.319 He was confessing the sins of Israel, his own sins. 00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:18.019 He recognized that he was part of the problem of the world. 00:31:18.079 --> 00:31:19.960 And that's the catch here as well. 00:31:20.339 --> 00:31:24.619 We have to remember that we are part of that sin that God is putting to an end. 00:31:25.940 --> 00:31:31.619 We are complicit in the wickedness and evil and injustice of this world. 00:31:31.619 --> 00:31:37.299 And so that's why we have to have what verse 26 talks about. 00:31:37.379 --> 00:31:40.299 We have to have an anointed one who will be cut off. 00:31:41.399 --> 00:31:44.339 And as we know, it's our Lord Jesus who makes this true for us. 00:31:44.419 --> 00:31:49.079 We're told in Matthew chapter 27, verse 46, that Jesus cries out on the cross, 00:31:49.179 --> 00:31:50.779 My God, why have you forsaken me? 00:31:52.099 --> 00:31:54.899 Well, God forsook him because someone had to be cut off. 00:31:56.479 --> 00:31:59.219 That's the way that this debt of sin was paid for. 00:31:59.220 --> 00:32:03.019 We're told that there's going to be an atonement for iniquity. 00:32:03.120 --> 00:32:04.000 That's on God's list. 00:32:04.079 --> 00:32:08.160 Well, we're also told, Matthew chapter 26, when Jesus is serving the Lord's Supper, 00:32:08.240 --> 00:32:10.220 he says, this is the blood of my covenant, 00:32:10.339 --> 00:32:12.839 which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 00:32:13.480 --> 00:32:16.920 It's Jesus' blood that fulfills this prophecy of atoning for sin. 00:32:18.259 --> 00:32:19.660 And then everlasting righteousness. 00:32:19.940 --> 00:32:23.200 We know, as I mentioned before, Mark chapter 1, Jesus comes preaching, 00:32:23.319 --> 00:32:26.799 and he says, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. 00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:28.980 Repent and believe in the gospel. 00:32:30.220 --> 00:32:35.680 And so we know that it's our Lord Jesus who brings the healing and the restoration that we look for. 00:32:35.799 --> 00:32:38.120 He is the one who makes things new. 00:32:38.279 --> 00:32:43.319 He brings it longer than we expect, and he makes it better than we expect. 00:32:43.319 --> 00:32:53.059 Now, if you'll remember, all the way back to 2020, when we were in the midst of COVID, 00:32:53.819 --> 00:32:56.599 and there were all kinds of things that stopped and shut down, 00:32:56.960 --> 00:33:00.079 you'll remember with me that there's one thing that didn't stop. 00:33:00.079 --> 00:33:02.480 Trash collection. 00:33:02.480 --> 00:33:09.839 No one ever discussed whether trash men, trash women were essential. 00:33:09.839 --> 00:33:13.539 We know trash has to be gotten rid of. 00:33:14.059 --> 00:33:16.459 We know how to get trash outside of our house. 00:33:16.879 --> 00:33:19.619 We don't know how to do with it after that. 00:33:19.740 --> 00:33:22.799 And, of course, we have, as you can expect, we don't think about it very often, 00:33:22.799 --> 00:33:26.339 but we have a huge trash problem in our world. 00:33:26.440 --> 00:33:29.740 The trash per person in the globe is on the rise, 00:33:29.859 --> 00:33:32.500 so people are producing more and more trash every year. 00:33:33.339 --> 00:33:36.539 Trash ends up in the sea in these things that we call garbage patches. 00:33:36.539 --> 00:33:40.859 So there's just big portions of the oceans that have these huge trash deposits. 00:33:40.980 --> 00:33:41.720 They're whirling around. 00:33:42.599 --> 00:33:45.940 And there's also trash that's on the floor of the sea. 00:33:46.019 --> 00:33:48.180 And then we have growing landfills around the world, right? 00:33:50.079 --> 00:33:58.119 Our problem with trash in this world is nothing compared to how bad our problem with sin is. 00:34:00.399 --> 00:34:03.859 And you would be foolish, anyone would be foolish who proposed 00:34:03.859 --> 00:34:07.639 that they would be able to solve the problem of trash in this world, right? 00:34:08.460 --> 00:34:13.139 The man who discovered part of what was going on in the sea says this. 00:34:13.219 --> 00:34:17.880 He said, cleaning up the garbage patch would bankrupt any country that tried it. 00:34:19.139 --> 00:34:22.839 Brothers and sisters, we don't know the solution to solving trash in our world. 00:34:24.059 --> 00:34:27.960 Even more, we don't know the problem to solving sin, 00:34:27.960 --> 00:34:29.440 but we do know this. 00:34:29.440 --> 00:34:35.800 Our Lord Jesus chose to bankrupt himself to solve the problem of sin. 00:34:35.900 --> 00:34:40.200 He bankrupted himself so that he could put sin to an end. 00:34:41.019 --> 00:34:44.159 He was the one who atoned for our iniquity. 00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:46.440 And so that we know that God does it. 00:34:46.519 --> 00:34:47.139 God does it. 00:34:47.200 --> 00:34:48.240 He puts an end to sin. 00:34:48.340 --> 00:34:49.920 He takes longer than we expect. 00:34:50.940 --> 00:34:54.579 And he does something greater and more beautiful than we expect. 00:34:54.639 --> 00:34:56.119 And he does it through the death of his son. 00:34:56.119 --> 00:34:59.359 And so when we look and ask about God's healing and his restoration, 00:34:59.679 --> 00:35:02.639 we can look to the words of Ephesians 3, verse 20, 00:35:03.339 --> 00:35:06.839 knowing that God is him who is able to do far more abundantly 00:35:06.839 --> 00:35:12.079 than all that we can ask or think according to the power that's at work within us. 00:35:13.039 --> 00:35:13.980 Please pray with me. 00:35:15.759 --> 00:35:20.819 Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the encouragement and the challenge of your word. 00:35:20.920 --> 00:35:22.559 We ask that you would give us patience, 00:35:22.559 --> 00:35:25.039 that you would help us to wait well, 00:35:25.139 --> 00:35:29.239 knowing that even when we don't see anything happening or changing, 00:35:29.340 --> 00:35:32.500 you are at work in this world, bringing your plans to completion. 00:35:33.699 --> 00:35:36.360 And Father, we ask that you'd give us the humility that Daniel had, 00:35:36.420 --> 00:35:40.199 knowing that the problem of sin is one that we are caught up in and a part of. 00:35:40.259 --> 00:35:43.059 And so that we would look to Jesus and not ourselves 00:35:43.059 --> 00:35:46.880 as the one who can heal and restore and atone for us. 00:35:46.940 --> 00:35:49.920 He can pay the price that would bankrupt us. 00:35:49.920 --> 00:35:52.220 And so we ask all of these things, 00:35:52.780 --> 00:35:54.420 knowing that we can't afford it, 00:35:54.539 --> 00:35:55.860 but we ask it in his mighty name. 00:35:56.320 --> 00:35:56.559 Amen.