Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20020324.htm

DANIEL: HOPE FOR TODAY'S DISILLUSIONED YOUTH
Part XI: PERSONAL Peace In Trials Other People As A WHOLE Face
(Daniel 9:20-27)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

When religious people around us face trials this Palm Sunday, how far are WE to go in identifying WITH their trials as though God is judging us along with them? This is a critical question today:

(1) While filling out forms for a business transaction this week, I had to reveal to the businessmen involved I was a minister. In the process, the man working with me asked, "How do you and your Church face the recent pederasty scandals involving many priests?"

I replied our Church is not a Catholic Church where these scandals have occurred, and that satisfied his curiosity about US! However, it brought to the fore the question: Are WE to think GOD is judging US along with the priests of this group in Christendom because of its EXTENSIVE sexual scandal? How do we KNOW?

(2) In 1997, the International Bible Society under pressure from Evangelical groups pledged not to produce a "gender-neutral Bible." They had originally wanted to appeal to the feminist movement by deleting a lot of the male references to God and humans. However, doing so not only would have violated word definitions of the original manuscripts, but even create grammatical errors. For example, Revelation 3:20 in The proposed "gender neutral Bible" would read: "I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with me." Here "anyone" is put in apposition to "them" and "they" in even blatant grammatical error.

Yet, the February 9, 2002 issue of World magazine reports the International Bible Society has REVERSED its promise -- it is going ahead with its publication ANYWAY!

NOW WE Christians will have to be careful WHAT Bible we even BUY as SOME of them will be blatant distortions of the truth! Well, does the existence of such a TRIAL mean God is judging US at NEPAUG Church? How do we KNOW?



When we see TRIALS come on religious people AROUND us, or on believers as a WHOLE, are WE to view it as PERSONAL discipline due to God's displeasure or NOT? WHY and HOW?



(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "I feel uneasy this Palm Sunday over the trials other religious people face! Am I to feel God is discipling ME over this? WHY?!"
  1. When Daniel penned Daniel 9, God had given him TROUBLING insight of FUTURE trials for his PEOPLE, ISRAEL, Daniel 1-8.
  2. Yet, to SETTLE Daniel in view of this news, as we learned, God COMPLIMENTED Daniel for PERSONALLY heeding Scripture:
    1. We learned before that when Daniel read in Jeremiah's prophecy Israel's 70-year captivity would end based on her repenting of sin, being anxious for blessing, he began to confess Israel's sin, 9:1-5.
    2. In response, God quickly sent His angel, Gabriel, to inform Daniel he was God's "precious treasure," cheering Daniel in notifying he was right with God, Dan. 9:23; B.D.B., Hebrew-English Lexicon, p. 326.
  3. God further settled Daniel, revealing He would let GREAT trials YET come upon Israel to lead HER to REPENT as DANIEL had, a FACT DANIEL could USE for HIS OWN peace of mind about his rapport with God while ISRAEL was REFINED by MORE trials:
    1. In accord with the "70 weeks of years" in Jeremiah's words, Gabriel revealed God was only halfway through dealing with Israel's SIN!
      1. Jeremiah's prophecy Daniel had read predicted 70 years of Israel's captivity in accord with the land's need to be reimbursed for 70 sabbatical years lost the 490 years Israel had been in the Promised Land, Dan. 9:2: Jer. 29:10 in light of Lev. 25:1-6; 26:33-35:
        1. Israel was to let the land lie fallow every 7th year, Lev. 25:1-7.
        2. However, for 490 years, or for 70 sets of sabbatical years, Israel had disobeyed this land sabbath commandment.
        3. Thus, as predicted in Lev. 26:33-35, Israel would stay 70 years in captivity so the land could have its land sabbaths, Jer. 29:10.
      2. Accordingly, Gabriel said another "seventy sevens'" or 490 more years were needed for God to deal FULLY with Israel's SIN so He could set up the long-awaited Messianic Kingdom, Dan. 9:24 NIV.
    2. To explain this SIN, Gabriel told of Israel's apostasy yet to COME:
      1. From the decree to rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah came, there would be "seven sevens'" of years, i.e., 49 years, followed by "sixty-two sevens'" of years, i.e., another 434 years, 9:25a,b.
      2. That first 49-year period would be needed for the city to be rebuilt, and the next 434 years after that for Messiah to come, Dan. 9:25c.
      3. [The decree to rebuild Jerusalem came in 445 B. C. by Artaxerxes Longimanus, and figuring 49 + 434 years in the Hebrew calendar brings us to March 30, A. D. 33, 483 years later (Hoehner, Chron. Aspects of Life of Christ, p. 115-139). That DAY was Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, a KEY DAY by His own words in Luke 19:41-42. This means ONLY JESUS could POSSIBLY be GOD'S Daniel 9:25 MESSIAH!]
      4. Yet, Messiah would be "cut off" just "after" the 69 "sevens'" or 483 years had ended, a prediction of God's Messiah being sinfully executed by Israel (just days after Palm Sunday), Daniel 9:26!
      5. As Israel would execute Messiah days after Palm Sunday, God revealed Israel would face great trials until she accepted Him:
        1. The people of the antichrist, the Romans, would level Jerusalem in judgment, Dan. 9:26b; Luke 19:43-44. This was fulfilled in A. D. 70, cf. Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to Luke 19:43.
        2. A period of desolations and war for Jerusalem and its temple site would follow, the period of current history, Daniel 9:26c.
        3. Then, the 70th "seven'" of years would start [after the Church is taken to heaven at the Rapture] with the revived Roman empire's antichrist making a 7-year treaty with Israel, 9:27a.
        4. However, in the middle of that 7-year treaty, or 3 years into the treaty, he would break that accord, invade Israel and pollute her temple with great evil and dreadfully persecute for Israel until God judged him at the end of this Tribulation, Dan. 9:27b.
Application: When we see great trials come people as a WHOLE this PALM SUNDAY, WE must HEED God by (1) trusting in Christ as Savior from sin, John 3:16; Acts 17:30. (2) Then, we confess any post-salvation sins we do (1 John 1:9) and rely on God's Holy Spirit to obey Scripture for blessing, Galatians 5:16-23; 1 John 2:3-6. (3) God THEN wants US to know He will let fiery trials come on OTHER religious parties until THEY REPENT as have WE; thus, WE are PERSONALLY NOT to be SHAKEN by such GROUP trials, but FOCUS on our OWN walk with God for PERSONAL blessing! (4) Then, as Daniel did (by recording this chapter's words), we influence others to REPENT.

Lesson: For DANIEL who heeded Scripture, God gave a (1) PERSONAL COMPLIMENT on his own repentance and (2) INSIGHT that He would allow GREAT TRIALS come on OTHER JEWS so THEY might repent; (3) THAT let GODLY DANIEL gain peace of mind about his OWN stand with God as he saw Israel's future trials were for others -- NOT for HIM! >

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 (1) In our sermon introduction, we noted the International Bible Society has reversed its stand against printing a "gender-neutral" Bible, and is going ahead with such a Bible in publishing its Today's New International Version. As a result, many Evangelicals are troubled, wondering where the shifting sands of an eroding faith will lead!

However, this is not a trial for US at Nepaug, for we have long stood for the inerrancy and infallibility of the autograph manuscripts of the Bible in CONTRAST to those Evangelicals who have fudged, saying the Bible has "unintentional" errors in it (that it is "errant").

If anything, I take the trial (a) as God's compliment for our Church's stand on Biblical inerrancy: only by having already stood for the truth can we not be shaken by such a trial! (b) Rather, God is using this trial to cause moderate Evangelicals who, in denying the Bible's inerrancy, must now choose between Liberal Theology that holds one can edit Scripture at will OR hold to Scripture's inerrancy!

(2) Also in our sermon introduction, you recall when the man asked how I and our Church could handle the pederasty scandals of Catholic priests, I replied we were not of the Catholic persuasion!

I later realized not every Evangelical pastor could have avoided squirming at such a question, for many have joined in the Evangelicals and Catholics Together accord to view such priests as close brothers! However, for doctrinal reasons, we months ago presented messages from this pulpit that we do NOT condone the Evangelicals and Catholics Together movement.

In view of the businessman's question, I was RELIEVED we had already taken our stand of separation from the Evangelicals and Catholics Together movement!