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Battle Creek Tabernacle SDA Church

These Things We Know

Chris Holland

These Things We Know: God is Faithful

These Things We Know: God is Sovereign

These Things We Know: God is Good

These Things We Know: God Is the Relentless Redeemer

God Still Speaks Part 1

God Still Speaks Part 2

These Things We Know: God Wins

These Things We Know: God is the Deliverer

These Things We Know: God is the Great Teacher

These Things We Know: God is a Friend

These Things We Know: God Knows the End From the Beginning

These Things We Know: God is the Author

These Things We Know: God is the Finisher

These Things We Know: God is the Promise Keeper Part 1

These Things We Know: God is the Promise Keeper Part 2

These Things We Know: God Fights For Us Part 1

These Things We Know: God Fights For Us Part 2

These Things We Know: God Stands for Us

Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.

We are living at a time in this earth's history where we need to take the hand of our precious Lord more than ever before and have Him lead us to our rightful home.

Father in heaven, we have gathered here for the next few moments as we study your word.

We need to sense that you are taking us by the hand and through this message, leading us on the journey to home.

It is hard to believe, but 16 weeks ago, on July the 20th, 2024, I preached a sermon entitled A Nation divided.

You would remember that I preached that sermon in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, which took place on July the 13th.

I did not have plans for a sermon series on the book of Daniel, but God helped me to understand that I needed plans to have a sermon series on the book of Daniel.

Here we are, 15 sermons into this sermon series, And this last week, the nation spoke.

And it is quite evident that it is still a nation that is divided.

Certainly divided along the political landscape, but also divided and even maybe polarized in so many various areas of life.

But now, seemingly more than ever, many are left asking the question, what comes next?

There are some that are treating the results of this last Tuesday's election like that of the arrival of a Messiah-like figure, while there are others that are treating the results of this last Tuesday's election as 1 of the greatest tragedies of modern times.

What are we called to do as Seventh-day Adventist Christians in light of all that is going on?

I am drawn to last week's teaching from the book of Daniel.

Our trust does not lie in people, but it lies in God alone.

That ancient Psalm, Psalm 20, verse 7, says it well, and while we do not live in an age of chariots, understand the principle, some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

And the question that we are confronted with is, will we in all circumstances and in all ways, trust in the Lord who is the promise keeper?

If you have your Bibles with you, I'd invite you to open them to Daniel, the ninth chapter, Daniel chapter 9.

We will be studying from Daniel chapter 9 while referencing the book of Jeremiah.

Now as a point of reminder and reflecting some and recalling some of the teaching from last week, you'll remember that in Daniel 9, we find the prophet Daniel, having spent some 66 years in Babylon.

Undoubtedly, he was wondering about the promise of Jeremiah that God's people would be in exile in Babylon for 70 years.

Yet at the same time, Daniel was wondering about the vision that he did not understand from Daniel chapter 8 and we need to not underestimate the power of that wondering because we will see that God is the promise keeper and that he not only answers prayer, but he answers in ways that we cannot expect and he answers in ways that are above and beyond all that we could ask.

You'll remember, Daniel was the 1 when Nebuchadnezzar had a problem, he called upon Daniel because he knew that Daniel had understanding according that Daniel had understanding, according to the scripture in all visions.

Later in Daniel chapter 5, when Belshazzar, Nebuchadnezzar's grandson did not have understanding and a vision that he had seen was reminded by his mother, the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, that there is this old man Daniel, he can help you.

And Daniel once again was called upon because he had understanding in all visions.

But in Daniel chapter 8, something new and very foreign to Daniel happened.

But Daniel chapter 8 ends with Daniel astonished because he does not understand.

How is it that this man who had understanding in all visions now does not have understanding?

Imagine in your mind being the prophet Daniel and how confusing this must have been to him.

How is it possible as the prophet that he did not have understanding?

And so here in Daniel 9, we are 10, possibly 13 years after that vision was given in which he did not have understanding.

I don't know about you, but it's easy to give up on prayer in maybe a few days or a few weeks.

Daniel waited some 10 to 13 years for an answer.

And in Daniel chapter 9 beginning in verse 1, the Bible records exactly what Daniel did.

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans.

In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah, excuse me, through Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications with fasting sackcloth and ashes.

Not only did Daniel pray, but Daniel returned back to the Word of God.

He went back to the Word of God so he might gain understanding.

He turned to the prophet Daniel and undoubtedly he studied Jeremiah 25 and Jeremiah 29.

And once again, this is a review of what I just talked about last week, and you can go to our web page or to our YouTube and there you can watch this sermon all over again.

But here Daniel was 66 years in Babylon and now turn in your Bibles to Jeremiah chapter 29, 66 years in Babylon, 10 years without an answer to the prayer of the understanding of the vision of the 2300 days and then in Jeremiah chapter 29, I imagine in my mind that as Daniel the prophet read Jeremiah 29 and he read verses 10 to 14 He saw this promise and this promise gave him great comfort which is to help us not underestimate the power of the promises of God.

There in Jeremiah 10 29, excuse me, Jeremiah 29 verses 10 to 14, this is what the Bible says, For thus says the Lord, after 70 years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you and cause you to return to this place.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Then, you will call upon me and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

And you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.

I will be found by you says the Lord and I will bring you back from your captivity.

I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you says the Lord and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

Daniel read, Daniel studied, and Daniel saw.

He saw that they were living at this time, this time of the momentous fulfillment of the return to Jerusalem.

Did he simply say, well, I mean, this is what God promised.

I, you know, I don't need to do anything.

In the midst of the fulfillment of this prophecy, he prayed.

He understood the serious nature of the situation.

He understood that some Bible prophecies are conditional and he prayed and he prayed that these things would come to pass and that the 70 years would be fulfilled.

He prayed that God would lead them out of Babylon.

And we need to be, we need to remind ourselves that prayer is a posture of humility.

We are living in an age where many Bible preachers and Bible teachers teach that prayer is a posture of calling God to accountability, whereas if we can command God what to do.

No, prayer is a posture of humility, and the Bible says that Daniel was there in prayer and supplication, supplication being distinctly different.

This is seeking God's mercy and seeking His sympathy and compassion to plead with Him.

Whenever we come to God in prayer, We come in humility.

We come seeking His sympathy and His compassion.

We plead for His mercy because God, God doesn't owe us anything.

Turning back to Daniel chapter 9, keep your thumb in Jeremiah 29, we'll be coming back and forth.

You'll remember that Daniel prayed in Daniel chapter 9 verses 6 and 7 Daniel prayed saying neither have we heeded your servants the prophets who spoke in your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land.

Oh Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but to us, shame a face as it is this day to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and all Israel, those near and those far off, and all the countries to which you have driven them because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against you.

Shame and embarrassment over sin because they did not listen.

But take note that even in the midst of that, even in the midst of Daniel praying this prayer, what does he say about God?

What is righteousness in its most simplistic definition?

God did right by sending them into exile.

Turning back to Jeremiah 29, I told you we'd be back and forth, so keep your thumb in Jeremiah 29 and Daniel chapter 9.

Now These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Jeremiah sent a letter and Daniel would have received this letter.

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Series

These Things We Know

These Things We Know: God is the Promise Keeper Part 1

Transcript

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Plenary

Revelation’s Sanctuary Message

1h 2m

Revelation’s Vacation of a Lifetime

54m

The Infinite Future of Man

27m

Preparing the Ark: Lessons from Noah’s Faith

1h 4m

A God You Can Trust

43m

The Book Of Revelation

Revelation 15-20

49m

The Troubling News of Christmas

40m

Preview and Preparation: The Coming Crisis

5. Victory and Deliverance in Jesus

1h 5m

Revelation Made Simple

7. Revelation’s Great Escape

38m

Man from Space

Man from Space, Pt. 3

14m

Stories of Christ’s Return- Part 1

29m

Sound Doctrine