We looked at what's going on there in Daniel 7 and we'll just feel some reference it to get us back up to speed this morning Sometimes when I was talking with a guy. He's going through seminary right now And he's as a preaching opportunity in front of him and so he's asking me preaching questions and I said you know He's and he's learning that he's in a class right now about how to understand scripture and And you know scripture has so much meaning and it's so it's so rich and
Told some of these guys going into pastoral ministry. You know when you see this and this is what our Teachers said when we were in pastoral training when you Look at the scriptures your problem will not be if you're preaching from the scriptures your problem will not be how can I fill 20 minutes? It will be how can I not go on for two hours and you'll have to leave all this stuff from the cutting floor As you edit out all these things and so I told him about you know this last week and this week that I you know finish the sermon that was two hours long and Then said well, I can't do two hours since I cut it in half and so we did really that the background last week and this week is all that kind of application stuff which is terrible to do as a pastor You know, you don't want to just have application one sermon and and just have background one sermon We did hit some we did hit some application last week, but so Daniel chapters chapter seven and She'll give me a moment I was two chapters away then I closed my Bible when I stepped up here There we go Okay, Daniel chapter seven. This is God's word eternally true
beginning in verse one In the first year of Belch's are King of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions passed through his mind As he was lying on his bed, he wrote down the substance of his dream Daniel said in my vision at night I looked and there before me where the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea Four great beasts each different from the others came up out of the sea The first was like a lion and it had the wings of an eagle I Watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man and the heart of a man was given to it and There before me was the second beast which looked like a bear It was raised up on one of its sides. It had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth It was told get up and eat your fill of flesh After that I looked and there before me was another beast one that looked like a leopard and on its back It had four wings like those of a bird This beast had four heads and it was given authority to rule After that in my vision at night I looked and there before me was a fourth beast terrifying and frightening and very powerful It had large iron teeth It crushed and devoured its victims and trampled under foot whatever was left It was different from all the former beasts it had ten horns While I was thinking about the horns there before me was another horn a little one Which came up among them and Three of the first horns were up rooted before it this horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully as I looked Throne's were set in place in the ancient of days took his seat His clothing was his whiteest snow the hair of his head was white like wool His throne was flaming with fire and its wheels were all ablaze a River of fire was flowing coming out from before him Thousands upon thousands attended him 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him the court was seated and the books were opened Verse 11 then I continued to watch because the boastful words the horn was speaking I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire The other beasts have been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time In my vision at night I looked and there before me was one like a son of man Coming with the clouds of heaven he approached the ancient of days and was led into his presence He was given authority glory and sovereign power All peoples nations and men of every language worshiped him His dominion is the never lasting dominion that will not pass away And his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed I Daniel was troubled and spirit in the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth But the saints of the most high will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever. Yes forever and ever Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast which was different from all the others and most terrifying With its iron teeth and and bronze claws the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up before which three of them fell The horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully As I watched this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them Until the ancient of days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the most high And the time came when they possessed the kingdom verse 23 He gave me this explanation the fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth trampling it down and crushing it The tin horns are tin kings who will come from this kingdom After them another king will arise different from the earlier ones. He will so do three kings He will speak against the most high and oppress his saints And try to change the set times and the laws The saints will be handed over to him for a time times and half a time But the court will sit And his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever and ever Then the sovereignty power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints the people of the most high His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom And all rulers will worship and obey him This is the end of the matter I Daniel was deeply troubled by my thoughts And my face turned pale But I kept the matter to myself Here ends our reading we have a response of thankfulness that's printed for us in our bulletin The word of the Lord Thanks indeed let's pray So this is this is great stuff here and if you've heard This and and are sitting here and and have heard this talked about before Don't worry you're not headed in for a whole lot of crazy There's a whole lot of crazy talked about this stuff all through the the Christian world Last week we we looked at some of what this some of what this means but let's put this in context first of all This is you know Daniel we see his troubled by this news. We see it there in verse 15 At right in the middle and then there there's a very end Daniel's troubled by this and he he learns about what's what's coming In his day and beyond and it's really bad news Daniel was told in chapter 9 that Bob read for us at the front That as he sat there and in Babylon Which was becoming Persia? He was often exile. He was not living in Israel He had been carried off into exile under the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar And the prophet Jeremiah and we see this in Daniel 9 verses 1 and 2 and 3 you can look there It's just the page over probably for you Daniel realized that he had been in exile seven years And that Jeremiah had said the exile with last 70 years But as we talked about last week one of the reasons for the 70 years was to bring people the opportunity to realize Hey, we're not living in the promised land anymore And we're aliens and foreigners in this land of Babylon. We're a dominated humiliated people And this was to it caused them to turn back to the Lord and to cry out to him like Daniel was doing in in chapter 9 But we find out from Daniel as we read the whole chapter But even what we read the Daniel realizes the people in exile for 70 years had not repented And they had not turned back to the Lord And so Daniel asked the question what now Lord it's been seven years But I understand that's not an automatic return from exile to go back to the promised land But would you be merciful to us Merciful to us anyway And God gives this kind of half response. It's been called the well, it's been called the punt You know when you get to the end of your four downs Either you're going to get the first down or you're going to give the ball away and and it's kind of that response By the Lord the people will go back to the promised land and we see that if you look at Ezra chapter 1 you see that when the Persians come in and take control They defeat the Babylonians that they release God's people to go back to the promised land Not all the people go back Daniel stays and serves Darious the the king of Persia Esther's still there about 30 40 years later they're in Persia After this point, but it won't be a complete exile and what we read in Daniel 9 Is that the answer Daniel gets is that it won't be a 70 year exile But the 70 years will be multiplied by seven And this was a thing of I got law and a little bitical law from the book of Exodus that that a penalty for a crime or a sin Could be multiplied seven times over And that's what Daniel's told that the exile you won't come back to complete restoration In 70 years right now But God is multiplying that and that's not a a literal thing where to say okay start the clock at 538 B.C When when Daniel's praying this and let's go out 490 years, but it's a general thing It's like it's a punch get the ball goes Way out into that way out into the future And so this is really bad news for for Daniel because he finds out That he won't be living in a kingdom in which God is ruling Utterly And where the laws of God are being followed by all the people And where he will be able to live at home back in his homeland Unbothered by enemies Rather than enemies would continue to to badger God's people to persecute to control God's people and we see that in this in this passage Daniel seven as well But if you'd like to fill up blanks and an outline you're welcome to do that You can just listen if you want to that's fine to however you best learn and and take things in but our introduction Just kind of reviewing what we looked at last week. God cares enough about you This is what he's doing with Daniel But what he's doing with us to God cares enough about you to set your expectations To set your expectations for this life And the next That's what God's doing here in Daniel seven as well as Daniel nine He's setting Daniel's expectations for this life in the next. He's not saying oh yeah, I'll just be just a minute Daniel Just a minute almost just a sec Now he says no no no no four kingdoms For massive kingdoms for world-wide kind of kingdoms and especially this fourth kingdom that comes along It's going to be world-wide. It's going to last in and last and last and it's going to be extended 70 times seven Until God's people aren't dominant And so God cares enough to set our expectations about what this What are lives this the season of who we are which is from birth to death Is going to is going to look like and so we see that in verses 15 and in 28 Daniel gets this bad news um And that's for that's for us um Our lives are not going to be lives in which the people of this earth Are all saying let's follow Jesus to worship him and treat other people like we would like to be treated Let's all love our neighbors as ourselves Let's all do what's just and fair And our politicians are not going to abandon power and manipulation For their own good In fact, they're going to be doing that and they're going to be working for their constituents perhaps to the detriment of you and me perhaps Okay, so God sets our expectations in this chapter the first thing he says to us and this is kind of review of all we looked at last week number one Um the kingdoms of men are firmly established and are extending on in time That's number one and that's what we looked at last week Daniel finds out that this isn't the end of the 70 years. This is the beginning of An extended period in which God's people are not are not at home Like Homer Simpson says the bark when bark says dad. This is in the in the Simpson's movie um dad This has to be the worst day in my life And Homer corrects and it says no son. This is the worst day in your life so far and That's the news that Daniel gets then he'll say this really stinks. We've been in exile 70 years and and God said yeah, but it's just the beginning of You know, it's just the first seven so to speak or the first eight because you got seven times seven Going going forward here and so you see all those passages there and and chapter verses three through eight Speak about this and so just review for you the That lion bablon was symbol symbolized by the lion and and then Persia comes along symbolized by a bear and one side is larger than the other that It was the media media Persian empire that took over Derrius was king of that and Daniel served him But the the Persians were stronger than the mead and that's what that's talking about there Talks about three ribs at the east there were three major kingdoms that the Persian kingdom took in that they conquered And then there's the leopard and that's the third kingdom that comes along that dominates the world and and that's Greece and It's got four heads Greece is famous for having four sections and four kings The total of me's and this kind of thing that the divide the Greek kingdom in the four basic blocks There and they're they're from like 330 Under Alexander the great until about 68 BC and then the Romans come in and the Romans are this ferocious kingdom What do you think about Romans when you think about Romans? You think about Roman soldiers don't you When you think about Greeks you think about philosophy and and people wearing togas and Staming around with kind of curly hair and laurel leaves in their hair But when you think about Romans you think about this ferocious kingdom of iron They they conquered and they were ferocious and they ate whatever came before them And then they trampled on the rest of the is the imagery And this is a kingdom that's even more extensive than the kingdoms of Babylon A Persia and then of Greece because Rome brings in Romans further Italy This further east and it brings in an addition to the kingdoms that conquers that that Persia and Greece and and Babylon had been over which is kind of the the eastern half of the Middle East And going down into Egypt the Roman kingdom includes all the European stuff too You know, and so that's why today and you know even up in France and and England they've got Roman stuff Up there because Roman just conquered everything My back out says it doesn't even in there. There's there's there's this little horn that comes up and and the kingdom Just gets extended until everything is complete So that's what's going on there and and the kingdoms of men Daniel things hold are firmly established I a kingdom of God where God reigns over all the earth Where God is king over all the earth It's not for that's not for a long long time Uh, it doesn't end with Babylon's end here It doesn't even end with Persia's end Doesn't even end with Greek Greek the end of Greece And Daniel was done shortly after this these these words here and in the early Persian kingdom Okay, so that's that That's that there and and um We go under number two But the good news is this Christ will christ will return Christ will return We talked about last week how even while all these kingdoms are are prospering on the earth and dominating Especially us the church the saints Um, the god's courtroom is being ready and so we see that you look down verses nine and ten In the midst of this god's courtroom is being ready everyone's Arriving and setting there and god's throne is established up there in heaven and the books are being open the books by which all the nations will be Will be judged and then you see that I'd be again in verse 26 the court will sit In response to all this and and the way our lives are in the future will in the future the court will sit And his power that this final kingdom The reigns of the earth's Rome and its descendants right where the descendants of Rome Um, we'll be taken away and completely destroyed Forever so Jesus will return and bring with him and this is repeat from last week's sermon I footnoted it so I didn't money that the sentence with all those References but you can see him in the bottom right Um, he will return bring with him judgment judgment on and elimination those are your blanks judgment on and elimination of the unbelieving and oppressive kingdoms of men So Daniel's assured this but when Jesus comes you also take kingship over the whole earth He'll take kingship over the whole earth himself And giving forever the whole earth to us his people the meek who are the ones who are who are dominated or Given over as verse 25 says handed over to him for a time times and half a time for this period of time that we're in
So number three number three all are how do we survive? How do we get along in this era in which you've got been honest with us He's setting our expectations. He's not saying you'll be okay because I'll I'll come to reign over you and all the earth next week He says no, I won't Well, he could but he said don't depend on me coming. It's a long ways. It's a long ways away You know four kingdoms a thousand years however you want to put it And Peter deals with that and for the second Peter three the coming back of Jesus You know to the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day So how do we get along How do we get through the now of our lives and view the fact that sin Our own and the sins of the nations affect us and affect the world system itself How sin brings us difficulty in our lives hardships How do we make it through God answers this and he says this number three in light of a long era of the kingdoms of men In light of a long era of the kingdoms of men or the kingdom of man with sin prevalence
The light of a long era of the kingdoms of men with sin prevalent And all the trouble for you it causes For all your troubles today are caused by your own sin and by the sins of others If sin weren't in the world you wouldn't have troubles And that's just the truth So how do how do you get along with a sinful environment where sinful men are looking out for their own interests And sometimes you are too and that jams you up as well How do you get along a First of all be patient Be patient what's got word to us? How do we get along in this what what's his message to Daniel Daniel be patient You're gonna die Daniel before even the third kingdom comes along That's what God was saying to Daniel. That's what God was saying to Daniel's contemporaries Persia would be around for a hundreds of years after Daniel's contemporaries were dead And then they would need to be Greece and then then Rome Okay, so so be patient versus three through eight Here's the answer. How long the Lord? Well a long time So be patient be patient um It's 70 times seven is going on so no are are we there yet? That's got the answer for us. Don't say are we there yet? We're not not allowed to say that can't say that in our car. No, are we there yet? um This is the main excertation of the book of Revelation If you see one excertation in the book of Revelation written for the first century people who were enduring persecution At the hands of Rome in a the 80 90s Um, it's this excertation be patient Patiently endure and so you see that excertation in Revelation one nine Revelation three ten. I've listed it there for you Revelation 1310 Revelation 1412 and and in a way what we saw in Revelation six this morning the saints dead souls who are around Jesus thrown Ask Jesus and John's getting a view of this In in about AD 95 What's had what's going on in heaven right now? And he's given a view of heaven and there are these people who have had faith in Jesus But they were killed for their faith and they're around Jesus thrown and they say how long a lord To avenge our blood And Jesus says in our language Cool it Uh, he says be patient. I'm gathering in all my people And I won't avenge your blood And so I've gathered in all the saints
It's essentially Daniel's question how long a lord So you come and rule and reign and dominate the whore And the answer is not for not for a long time Bob read for us Romans 8 25 and this deals with this where people of hope Okay, and right now we're enduring a lot of suffering But Paul says but the suffering we endure now is nothing to be compared to the glory That we will receive when a Christ comes But then he says Paul does there and and Romans 9 18 to 25 He says but here's what it's like Even the creation now Grounds For the return of Jesus Is there weeds there earthquakes there tornadoes it's you know the all the Cosmos the the environment is going crazy even it's not at peace Let alone mankind and us We're believers who are suffering now And so where people of hope we're looking forward to Jesus return when it's revealed Publicly that we're the sons of God And Jesus comes back and he says you are my son Enter in to the or daughter Enter into the kingdom that I've prepared for you since the beginning of time And so Paul says so we're people of hope And that means hope the word does Paul says that means we don't have it yet And so we live in hope We had it we wouldn't be a people of hope we'd be a people of had or people of possession And so that's for us today be patient we live our lives in in hope of something that's that's future That's future. So we suffer during our day We suffer during our day our hope is in something else. So so be patient Waiting for here's your blank waiting for God's timing
Jesus said it's it's going to be a long ways away Um, but I want to be watchful Always be hopeful because you know not today that I will return That's that the bridegroom comes back for his bride But when I come back let me find you waiting for me But it's gonna be a long time as he said to John thousand years While you're going to be dead by then John probably not there in your era okay a long time So so just wait wait for God's timing in this and wait for God's timing as Jesus did
Matthew 4 verses 8 or 10 I've listed it there You know what that is Matthew 4 Jesus temptation in the wilderness And Jesus endures the same temptation as we do One thing Satan puts before him is that the Opportunity to rule the world now Okay, the kingdoms have been the kingdoms have been our understatement control This is what revelation is about this is what Daniel Seven is about With Daniel 9 is about the kingdoms of men are ruling and they rule by dominance and power and they don't care who they conquer They don't care about the people they conquer they chew them up with iron teeth This is why Daniel is shaking in his boots or sandals or whatever your war in Persia right Uh, but but Jesus is offered this Satan says I will behold I'll give you all that he shows them all the kingdoms of the world Behold I'll give these to you if you bow down to me in worship But Jesus knows the time is not now Jesus knows all the earth will be his and he will be king of it, but now is not the time And this is all a a Version of what's to happen one he's the worship the Lord has got only which is his response But two it's not the time for it Now it's the time where he comes in and bears the sins of his people and dies for them so that we can be saved All the Old Testament saints all who died in faith words depending on Jesus to go to the cross bearing their sins and to die They were in heaven with the Lord based on a check a check written That will be cached when Jesus dies in the cross And so Jesus has to do it so he says no Jesus himself Wait for the timing Of God's kingdom to rule over the whole earth And so that's what we're called to do as believers Just wait Jesus did Now is not the time that Jesus will rule over the whole earth and so don't get your hopes up in election season Three years from now or whatever that will be right three year yeah three years in a few months from now Don't get your hopes up This is just we're deciding who's going to rule over this kingdom of men the United States Okay Hillary or Donald we're not going to call us up every morning and say what can I do for you today How can I benefit Um, so be patient be patient as Jesus was um Be be This brings us into this part Don't expect in this era in which the kingdoms of men rule in which Jesus has not come back yet to rain over the whole earth Don't expect the church to get its way in the world Jesus didn't Jesus knew when he was in the world. He was not going to get his own way And just submits and is slaughtered by the world That's what happens to our king when he comes into the world. He's slaughtered. He's given up and who's he slaughtered by The kingdoms of men The Roman government this fourth beast that he had told Daniel about He knew it And so he came and he wasn't expecting to give his way. He wasn't surprised by going to the cross He tells his disciples over and over again If you read the gospel markets really early in the gospel He starts preparing his disciples for that day when he will go to Jerusalem and be betrayed and handed over by the Jews Into the hands of the Romans and be crucified But then he says but on the third day I will rise again from the dead Jesus understood he would not get his own way on earth The kingdoms were in the era were the kingdoms of men rule He knew where he was in Daniel's timeline. He knew that he was in the fourth beast and this would extend Through centuries and so he lives accordingly He lives understanding that that now is not the time where the people of God get their way And so what's he do with his disciples? He prepares them to be persecuted He says to them in his last words to them on the night before his betrayed like in John 1633 In the world you will have troubles But take courage. I've overcome the world That's for us as believers. He doesn't tell his christian tale when I when I Tomorrow it's gonna be a great day tomorrow No tomorrow I will be crucified and then it's not gonna be good for you Just because I rise up in heaven It's not gonna be good for you and that's the reminder of the book of Revelation Just because Jesus is up in heaven and because he has arrived there in revelation five And he's been seated at the right hand of God just because Jesus is raining from heaven above Doesn't mean that things are going well for these people on the earth
As we read in those two odd verses which I realized too late after I printed the bulletins and in Revelation 12 they were out of context for you, but that the that God's people are being pursued By the evil one through the kingdoms of men in this era God's people are being persecuted So in contrast to this the prosperity gospel falsely teaches That the christian being a christian is an entry into a life in which everything will go your way Zippity do that right My oh my what a wonderful day That's the message of Disney not the message of Jesus All right Going into life as a christian is like you know, you know how Jesus introduces himself to Saul of Tarsus I mentioned it last week It's like you saw says on the road to Damascus who are you Lord? And Jesus is I am Jesus who you are persecuting Then behold I will show you Saul of Tarsus how much you will suffer For my sake You see when we believe in Jesus when person believes in Jesus they make an exchange They say I'm no longer going to be a member of the kingdoms of men I'm no longer going to be a citizen Really in the kingdoms of men I'm going to be a citizen of heaven Philippians 320 and if I'm a citizen of heaven I belong to a kingdom that's not of this earth It's not of men here. And so I'm going to be persecuted. I'm going to be like Guess who? Daniel and his friends I'm going to be one who belongs to the kingdom of God living in the kingdom of men Peter calls Rome the kingdom of men Babylon and first Peter 513 And so that's that's where we live and the prosperity gaustles is all if you believe in Jesus Everything will go your way just pray and have faith and you'll have enough money You'll get a job promotion. You'll have the kind of car you want and Jesus says no You may lose your car and you may lose your money and you may lose your job in fact You may lose your life and look at revelations six years proof All these people around my throne have died for claiming Jesus And so we make this exchange we say do I want a good life now or your best life now or do I want a good life for eternity And you see even the message to Daniel here even though these four kingdoms will rule and reign over the earth and dominate God's people and and look at the language You know hear that that he oppresses God's people speaks boastfully wages warverse 21 wages war against the saints Or verse 25 he speaks against the most high and he oppresses his saints We we make the decision when we believe in Jesus I want it good for eternity Even though I make it slaughtered here on the earth figuratively for hopefully all of us here slaughtered here on the earth I'd rather experience the oppression for not being a member a participant in the kingdom of man with its morality or immorality with its structures of power and pressure and manipulation and getting looking out for number one For you those who are older and remember that bestseller in the 1970s um, yeah, I'm going to surrender all that and be like Job Do with me what you will in this life You're all lose everything But I've got the Lord and he sees everything and he sees me and protects me and he cares for me So that's the exchange we make that the prosperity gospel get gets wrong um The restoration is not going to happen From our seven years of exile um, we're going to be under other's rulership and and be kicked around For a while, but we've said here's who we are as Christians we've said But it's worth it It's worth it You know, it's it's the no pain no gain Saying that our culture has gotten a little glimpses this life is pain and eternity's gain Deceiving emphasis of the Lord here uh in in this passage while he says the Daniel Daniel you're gonna die in the second king. It's it's so far off restoration is so far off For you but look Daniel The kingdom of the Lord when it comes will be forever and ever For his dominion has no end. You see that repeated through this whole passage over and over again It's this unending kingdom and we say um in That's what we said as believers I'm in I'm in for that Okay, so See there see the kingdom of man now rules over civil life and over culture across the globe Hollywood and and and various Nations around the world are not seeking the Bible to see what kind of morality to promote or how to treat each other And so see god says to you and to me this morning brace yourself brace yourself expect persecution suffering and not to be received not to be received Because you are a part of god's kingdom And so again verses 21 and 25 there one of the kingdoms of men do They sometimes specifically in addition to all the conquering they do of other people They sometimes specifically come after us the church Um that there are Two groups maybe probably more than this who are free of persecute now in the United States I know this from watching blue blood Um, you can say anything you want about russians The russian mob and all that kind of stuff you say anything you can make any kind of stereotype against russians That you want to and nobody from the cultural elite will Say anything to you about it russians are fair game and Christians are fair game anything Anything but somebody saying you know what marriages between a man and a woman And if you're if you're born with a certain anatomy, you know, that's who you are um If we say that then we're open to persecution aren't we Right we can't say that or we're we're mean bigots We're not mean bigots We're just exercising a little bit of logic Right it doesn't take a lot Um, I'll silly all this all this is that we're but but we're we're persecuted along the russians today and probably some other groups I'm just not just not thinking of here but but but you know in our culture we're just free game We're free game for persecution So brace yourself because you're part of God's kingdom This is the message to Daniel and his people and this is the message to us as believers Second Thessalonians one five through six talks about when Jesus comes back he will trouble those who have troubled us So what's the expectation? We will be a troubled people People will trouble us all through life But when Jesus comes back he will trouble them Second Timothy 312 was there and indeed all who desired to live godly in christ jesus that is believers will be persecuted Revelation 12 17 and 13 7 that We're being sought out that Satan and his forces Satan's using governments and and different various Signance of society to come against those who follow Jesus or as I mentioned to you John 1633 in this world you have troubles But take courage. I've overcome the world So you will not be received as Jesus was not If you're looking your if you're looking your bulletin There in our declaration of the gospel I think it is on the front page Yeah, there it is our declaration of the gospel. So Jesus understands our experience That we're not received That if we're at a public gathering or amongst friends who aren't believers and we say you know what XY chromosome means this and what's the other one is it's XX right XX chromosome means yeah, I was pre-med Yeah XX means XX means the other if we say that you know, we're we're gonna get brutalized probably But but Jesus knows what it's like not to be received He knows what's like to be rejected look at this he was in the world Jesus was he came in John opens up with Jesus created everything that we see He was in the world and though the world was made through him Jesus is a creator the world did not recognize him So Jesus comes in the world born of the Virgin Mary comes and and he's born and and the world doesn't recognize Hey, this is our creator Okay, we see that in the gospels people don't recognize that He gives hints of it and making the waves be still And doing away with diseases. This is the creator exercising his sovereignty over the creation when he does these things Getting rid of leprosy in people Causing blind people to see and death people to hear this is the creator working and giving people a clue that he's the creator Okay, but the world doesn't recognize that even his own disciples going on he came to those who were his own The Jews But his own did not receive him Okay, they put him on a cross But here's the good news verse 12 yet to all who received him Christians both those who were Jewish like his disciples and the early Christians and any Jew who receives him today And Gentiles but as many as receipts and who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God And so Jesus knows what it's like not to be received or accepted because of of what you of what you believe We're we're told that Jesus gave the the Acceptable or or right testimony before pilot And he is persecuted for are you a king? Pilate at some I am he spoke the truth and what did he get for crucifixion crucifixion now what's his crime? King of the Jews Written in three languages above his above his cross. So brace yourself brace yourself You won't be received as Jesus wasn't received if they hate the master they hate the servant Jesus said Okay, deep deep Next know that God will protect you That's good news know that God will protect you God will protect you during this era Even if it's through in the midst of While your experience in persecution and death for your face Okay Note verse 25 He will speak that is the the governments of the world will speak against the most high and oppress his saints That's us try to change set times and the laws that's been done in history Especially under communist regimes. They did that in China As well Napoleon did it Went kind to go to what like an eighth-day work week with no Sabbath there But the saints will be handed over to him but here's the good news even though it's long It's for a limited time time times and a half a time it will end it will end And so we see that God will protect us God will protect us what Bob read for us in in revelation 12 6 through 16 shows that even though we are being pursued at times and persecuted at times by the world that God protects us or keeps us By by his great power even if that protection means that he allows us to die he protects us through our death and brings us to his side So his protection doesn't mean bad things won't happen to us His protection doesn't mean that we may not die for our faith Now in this country that seems unlikely that will die for our faith But even if so know that the Lord's protection is around you and surrounding you and it just as If you read Revelation 12 as Satan came to get Jesus that God snatched Jesus up to his right hand side and place Jesus on his turn And that's the the passage there in Revelation 12 what it communicates the God protects us even in the midst of persecution If you're make fun of even if you lose friends even if you lose a work opportunities because of your faith God sees these things and he protects you and so do you there and you're outlined there underneath that Though Jesus died for his kingdom. He was protected and preserved in his resurrection So Jesus resurrection his ascension is informative to us God sees when his loved ones his son capital S and his sons and daughters lowercase S and D Are persecuted and losing our lives But he sees it and he watches over us and he brings us to his side Okay Peter says to His own people in uh Book of Acts Christ Jesus who I'll test fine Or he says you you you killed the author of life But God raised him from the dead and we are witnesses of this that's x315. What's that there for you? Next thing so got another God will protect you and then you despite hardships despite hardships for your faith Okay, now if you have hardships for your faith, what are you tempted to do? To abandon your faith, right If I just quit standing for My faith, I just keep quit talking about Jesus if people are making fun of Christians and calling them bigoted or Making fun of anybody who would believe, you know, you watch I watched them build my mar so Am I saying it a bit more? You know when you say something that doesn't sound right MHER build a mar This week and you know and he just tried to obliterate anybody who's Christian And what he does there is he takes a very obtuse view of what the Bible says And then when he gets someone who knows the Bible better on his show and explains it He shuts them off and he essentially says I want to believe my obtuse and incorrect version of Christianity so I can make fun of it and feel superior Okay, he doesn't he doesn't listen to those who explain what the Bible is talking about But you know wouldn't it be easier just in the face of the bill hours in our life Uh for us just to sell. Yeah, I don't believe any of that stuff Then we'd be accepted we'd be one of the guys And Peter deals with that and what he's talking about in first Peter and chapter 4 He knows they're being pressured just to run with their old crowd And that people all around all these believers in the church are saying what why don't you run with us in the as Peter called the same flood A dissipation that you're always ran with us in Keep it on doing you know the same old stuff. Why what do you pull here? They're not val now You know and people Work to get us to be unfaithful But God says to us in contrast to this e despite hardships for your faith live faithfully Live faithfully to Jesus just as Jesus in light of greater hardships in his life than we will ever have Just as in light of Jesus with these greater hardships lived faithfully to his father Okay, so you know that the Saints are in trouble in this era verse 25 But Jesus in the midst of persecution from the Jewish leadership persecution from the Roman government John John 434 tells us what Jesus life was about He says I've come to do the will of my father All that the father speaks that is what I do And I don't do anything outside. I don't do anything outside of that or first Peter To 21 through 23 talks about Jesus in the face of suffering Bob read this for us in the face of suffering He went to the cross he remained faithful he committed no sin In the face of suffering and walking through suffering of knowing Proclaiming who he was I am God. I am the king I will receive worship from anyone bright enough spiritually to understand who I am I will receive the worship of these people and he does like the man and he heals of his blindness in John 8 and 9 Jesus knows he's gonna get you know all kinds of fire against him from the Pharisees for that any does and he's in this He did exchange with them over that but Jesus remains Faithful to the father doing what the father sent him to do die for his to die for his people So let's faithfully so number one there under you don't let persecution wear you out Don't let persecution wear you out in verse 25 He will speak against the most high and oppress his saints It's the idea that he will wear out Just tire out his saints By his oppression and the saying is a Christian Christian So don't let persecution wear you out and said remain set apart those your blanks. They remain set apart From the evil behavior from the evil behavior of the rest of the world. In other words live as a saint the word saint Associated with the word sanctification or sanctuary It's associated with the word that we translate holy. I mean be set apart in your behavior And God emphasizes this in this passage all of a sudden out nowhere. God's using this word saint Holy words And that's where we're to be in the who we are to be in the midst of a sinful world in the midst of a world in which we're being persecuted because We're not living according to the sinful world we're to remain saints Set apart in our behavior not joining any even evil behavior but being set apart and standing out from the world From the evil behavior of the world So everyone else is doing it or everyone else does this or nobody cares everyone does this Somebody's going to be upset god says no no no no that's not who we are We remain set apart from the world living according to to his instructions that it gives to us in the in the Bible Uh God puts this way to as in Titus to verse 11 for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared all men So Jesus came it teaches us to say no So what does it teach us Christians to do Jesus having come what's it teach us to do it teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions And to live self-controlled upright and godly lives in the present age While we wait for the blessed hope the glorious appearing of our great god and savior Jesus Christ So in this era in which we wait for gods kingdom to fully come into to dominate and be the only kingdom that is On the face of the earth We say no to ungodliness we remain the saints those who are set apart Even in the midst of the persecution we receive So Paul picks up on this in Galatians 6.9. He says let us not be weary in doing good Don't be weary don't be worn out Don't get tired out of doing good for he continues at the proper time Get the timing aspect at the proper time When Jesus comes again We will reap a harvest if we do not give up So every good thing you do You will reap from that And so just keep doing good things one good thing after another after another living according to God's law one item after another after another Because every good thing you do is a seed your planting that you will reap Not now. That's the prosperity gospel if you send in money now and touch my tv screen You'll reap it now and you'll get a mysterious checking your mailbox Uh, but you will reap at the proper time Paul says So endure patiently endure live faithfully to Jesus and at the proper time When Jesus comes back when the court session is in session And the evil one like revelation 19 is cast into the lake of fire as it speaks of in verse 11
We will reap If we keep on going we don't give up and we won't give up because we just keep so in seeds and reap that harvest at the proper time Or as Bob read for us first peter 419 let's know what peter says in light of the evil world in which we live so then Those who suffer according to God's will Or as Christians who are obeying Jesus and suffering for he says those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful creator In doing what is right Like Jesus I'm gonna give but he says I'm gonna get obliterated for this But I'm committed to doing what my father has sent me to do To live seamlessly and to offer myself up as a sacrifice for all my people old testament and new testament to come He commits himself To his father in doing what's right And so that's the commandant for us too and what Daniel receives Be a saint be set apart even though all these hard things are coming that make you shake verse 15 and verse 28 Okay last thing for us number two Number two Jesus tells us that reward in the next life is especially great Reward in the next life is especially great for those who are faithful to him and who suffer for it
Matthew 5 10 through 12 This is from the end of the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount Jesus says blessed are you who are persecuted because of righteousness Say how this all fits in Daniel you're gonna be persecuted you're gonna live under persecuting kingdoms and all my people will until I come back Blessed are you who are persecuted because of righteousness for yours is the kingdom of heaven The eternal alas ever lasting dominion that belongs to you Blessed are you when people insult you persecution falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me because of Jesus Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven If you're persecuted great is your reward in heaven From the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you Or as Bob read for us from first Peter 2 19 through 23 for it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering Suffering because he is conscious of God Be it but how is it to your craft you receive a being for doing wrong and endure it but if you suffer for doing good and endure it This is commendable To God So God commands you God looks down and he sees you And he sees he's being faithful she's being faithful even though she knew it would bring her hardship God commends that He commends it more than when it's just easy to obey you know in front of each other. It's easy to obey That's good, you know fall the Lord when we're in each other's myths But when we're outside of each other's myths and we know I'm gonna get I'm gonna get persecuted because I say well I'm a Christian In the midst of a group making fun of Christians He sees that and he says great is your reward in heaven you're like one of the prophets who stood up for me who proclaimed me And got persecuted for it He says For to this Peter says to this you were called that is doing good and suffering So this you were called because Christ suffered for you leaving an example that you should follow in his steps do good Even though it means suffering that's what Jesus did he did good even though it meant suffering for him He committed no sin no deceit was found this mouth when they hurled insults at him He did not retaliate retaliate when he suffered. He made no threats Instead he entrusted himself To him who judges right just like and that's what we do We follow the Lord and we entrust ourselves To the one to God who judges right just like knowing that his promises great Is our reward in heaven if we follow him and are persecuted for it So if they're lastly quick point force lastly have hope Have hope As the message for Daniel despite the disappointment that 70 years wasn't going to be it Have hope and have that hope fixed on the return of Christ That's the other half of this message to Daniel have your hope fixed on the return for have your hope fixed on the ever lasting kingdom of the Son of man As it's told here in this passage this everlasting kingdom of righteousness Just like we're told to have in Romans 8 So conclusion summary summarizing all these things up together your life as a Christian will be marked with hardships So Daniel's being told Life on this earth will be full of hardships, but be patient endure endure And look in hope for the new era We can hope for the new era that Jesus will bring at his return Endure now and look in hope have hope Your hope will be realized It'll be realized in the new era Which Jesus will bring about at his return. Let's press