A True Heart of Repentance Daniel 9:1-19

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1 A True Heart of Repentance Daniel 9:1-19 Open your bibles to the Book of Daniel, chapter 19, where we will be looking at verses 1-19 in a message I have titled, A True Heart of Repentance. For those of you who were here 2-weeks ago on our midweek service, you ll remember we went through the entire chapter, but I had said that we would taking a another look at these verses, because I believe this is a model prayer, as it showcases true humility, true confession, true regret, and true repentance. I believe it showcases the heart of Daniel A righteous man of God whose spirit was broken and contrite Throughout the bible there is a theme message of God s Grace, unfailing love, and of His desire to have a relationship with each of us. His Word speaks of His plans for His children plans for a future and a hope. God has given each of us freewill, and as such, we can choose to do those things that are not within His perfect will. God has allowed this in His permissive will, but by no means is it His perfect will. In the Book of Genesis we see Adam & Eve choose poorly in the Garden of Eden, and it has continued in each and every human being since Sin brings on death, both spiritual and physical we see in James James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God ; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. James 1:15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Sin is the greatest barrier to a life of joy, peace, contentment, and of hope. There can be no lasting joy when we are in sin There can be no lasting contentment when we are in sin There can be no real true peace when we are in sin Our hope & faith can be destroyed when we are in sin. Even so, God is faithful and has provided a way for reconciliation of sinful man unto Himself. In the Old Testament the temporary atonement of sin was made through the blood of animal sacrifices. 1

2 In the New Testament we read that it is now made through the blood of the Lamb the perfect lamb Jesus Christ. We re told Rom. 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Rom. 3:24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Rom. 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, Rom. 3:26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. All this to say that, God is ready to forgive our sin If we are ready to confess and turn from our sin. 1John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Great example of where the Sovereignty of God works with the Free will of man What I want to look at today is what it means to turn from ones sin it s called Repentance, and without it there can be no salvation. A True Heart of Repentance will precede every true confession of faith in Jesus Christ, and it will be a part of every abiding believers walk. We re told in Scripture that God sent John the Baptist as a forerunner for Jesus Christ, and John s Message was simple Matt. 3:2 Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! In Matthew 4, we re told Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for 40-days. And we re told in Matt. 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Both John & Jesus GAVE THE SAME MESSAGE REPENT!) So, what exactly does it mean to Repent? The word Repent used by John in Matt 3:2 & Jesus in Matt 4:17 is derived from the Greek word, metanoeō.. me-tä-no-e'-ō which means to undergo a change in frame of mind and feeling, to repent, Lk. 17:3, 4; to make a change of principle and practice, to reform, As a theological term, repentance is the heartfelt sorrow for sin, followed by the sincere commitment to forsake it, and to walk in obedience to Jesus Christ. It s when we recognize that all sin is against God, and that it is wrong we confess our sin for what it is; change our mind about participating in it, and we follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit s leading in placing our faith in Christ for the forgiveness of our sin and for our new abiding walk with God 2Cor. 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation 2

3 Genuine repentance is our response to the Holy Spirit Rom. 2:4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? So it is God s goodness that leads us to repentance it is the Holy Spirit doing a work within our heart and mind We see Paul speaking of this Phil. 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. And so God opens our eyes to our need for His forgiveness, and we come in agreement and desire His forgiveness. There s amazing power in the testimony of someone who has repented and experienced God s healing upon his or her lives. We see John speaking of this truth in Rev. 12:10-11 Rev. 12:10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. Rev. 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Their testimony came because they repented & believed. How can we truly share the love and power of Jesus Christ s transforming power if we have not experienced it? Remember what the Blind man said when the Pharisees accused Jesus of being a phony and a sinner? The man responded by saying, One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see. If we haven t repented, then we cannot truly experience God s transformation not in Salvation, not in spiritual, physical, and mental healing, and not in the power of our Christian walk! Our walk and testimony are simply a cheap forgery of the real deal at best This includes repenting of any indoctrination or belief that would contradict the word of God, or to take its writings out of proper context especially when it comes to the requirements of Salvation. If we don t repent, and we continue to believe that we are somehow saved by any other way other than what our bible teaches By grace through faith in Christ then we are rejecting Christ and God s word, and this is destructive, deceptive, damaging & even deadly. So this gives us a pretty good biblical view as to how repentance works in the life of the lost sinner how it works to bring them to Christ So, what role does repentance have in the lives of a professed believer, and how should it shape our Christian lives? This brings us to our text today Daniel 9, vs

4 Daniel was physically sick according to the last verse of Ch. 8 sick from the fact that Israel had been in bondage to the Babylonian and Medo-Persian kingdoms for decades due to their willfulness, stubbornness, and unwillingness to obey God s commands. Sick from the visions of future destruction given to him by the angel Gabriel. Daniel knew that God could restore His favor upon them. He knew that they could be freed and brought back to their homeland he knew that their city Jerusalem could once again be rebuilt. But Daniel also knew for this to be possible they would need to deal with their sin the people needed to have a genuine heart to confess and to repent Daniel desires that God s judgment be turned to God s favor & blessing. Let s pick up v. 1 Dan. 9:1 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 Dan. 9:2 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 Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And so we see that Daniel had been reading the words of the Prophet Jeremiah specifically Jeremiah 25:11-12, and 29:10. This included the prophecy of how Israel would be taken into captivity by Babylon, and how they would be in bondage for 70-years. V. 3 Dan. 9:3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. So here is the 1st characterization of a true heart of repentance 1. Humility A person who truly is repentant is going to be humble Daniel came to God in humility We know from Ezekiel 40:16 there were lattices on his windows, so he would remove them and get down on his hands and knees He d be looking towards God s holy city of Jerusalem setting his face to the Lord. It s a humble position of submission to His Lord Daniel dropped all pride he may have been tempted to hold on to, and was ready to meet God to confess sin both his and Israel s for what it was no excuses; no justifying humility He wasn t separating his own sin, as if it was somehow lesser Next, we see the attitude of Daniel s heart in the latter part of V. 3 that when he says that he came Dan. 9:3(b) to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, 4

5 and ashes. So we see here the 2nd characterization of a true heart of repentance 2. A fervent heart One passionate about coming in agreement with God We can clearly see from Ch. 6 that Daniel was a man with a fervent heart. When a decree was given to put to death any man who prayed to anyone or god other than Darius, we read that Daniel sought to honor God rather than man, and he prayed. Daniel s repentive heart caused him to pray with intensity he made prayer and supplication supplication is the type of prayer that begs or pleads to God for mercy. We can clearly see the extent of Daniels stress and lamenting, as he puts on sackcloth and places ashes upon his head, as was a customary act of one who was deeply broken and genuinely contrite for their sin. It s what we see in Jesus teaching, as recorded in Luke 18:10-14 Luke 18:10 Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Luke 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank You that I am not like other men extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. Luke 18:12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess. Luke 18:13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner! Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Again, v. 14 he who humbles himself will be exalted. Daniels fasting wasn t the kind of fasting done out of some religious duty, obligation, or to be honored It s because he wasn t hungry Daniel was so grieved that he was sick, and therefore he had no desire to eat no appetite. Daniel took sin very seriously! I think if we confess our own sin nonchalantly and with an apathetic or indifferent heart, it s only because we are viewing our sin as no big deal it shows that we probably have an attitude of little or no remorse. Let s pick up v. 4 Dan. 9:4 And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, Dan. 9:5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Dan. 9:6 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. 5

6 So Daniel feels the weight of the sin he fully comprehends its magnitude Dan. 9:7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of 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 in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. Dan. 9:8 O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. Dan. 9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. Dan. 9:10 We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. Dan. 9:11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. Dan. 9:12 And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem. Dan. 9:13 As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. Dan. 9:14 Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. Dan. 9:15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day we have sinned, we have done wickedly! Daniel doesn t pray vague, Oh Lord, forgive us for all our sins, amen Daniel identifies with each thing that God brings to his mind calls each sin for what it was And so throughout this prayer we can see our 3 rd characterization of a true heart of to repentance and that is 3. True & Honest Confession A willingness to call it like it truly is Daniel doesn t try to justify or hide anything he calls if for what it is And we can see in these verses Daniel doing something very true, humble, and honest Daniel includes himself in all of these sins that Israel was guilty of V. 5 We have sinned We have done wickedly. V. 6 We have not heeded the servants Your prophets. V. 7, Righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face. V. 8 To us belongs shame of face. V. 9 We have rebelled, and V. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws. V. 11 we have sinned V. 13 we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. V.14 we have not obeyed His voice. V. 15 we have sinned, we have done wickedly! 6

7 Daniel was a man of great integrity but he didn t separate himself from the sins of the people of God He didn t say, Oh Lord, forgive them those people who have done all these things Daniel identified that he was just as guilty in his own way he knew that his sin was no less grievous to his Lord, then their sin was. This is the true nature of brokenness it doesn t see oneself as somehow better than others Here s the thing I ve noticed Self-righteous people seldom make honest and true confessions. What Daniel was confessing was honest and true no excuses; No Justification just honest confession. Let s finish with verses where we can see our 4th characterization of a true heart of repentance and that is 4. A confidence in God s forgiveness Knows God is faithful in His mercy Dan. 9:16 O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. Daniel is saying, Lord, Your name is being dirtied because of our sinful behavior Criticism is coming upon Your name. And yet, Daniel also believed that God would forgive and relent in His righteous judgment, so he seeks Him confidently in prayer V. 17 Dan. 9:17 Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. Dan. 9:18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name; for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies. Dan. 9:19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name. A True heart of repentance is characterized by humility, by fervency, by a true confession, and by a belief that God will forgive. Here me in this if we are going to conquer the strongholds of sin upon our life if we re going to walk in the freedom and the power that God desires for us, then we have to possess these attributes And There needs to be a continual time of reflection and confession within our lives. (David Search My Heart O-Lord Ps. 139) 7

8 It s not to be done lightly but in a fervent, honest way, believing that God will forgive, heal, and strengthen our walk and our love for Him. We can clearly see through these passages of Scripture that God s people didn t commit themselves to knowing or obeying Scripture They didn t really want to live for God they opted to live for themselves Daniel speaks of how sorrowful he was that God s character and goodness were maligned because of the people s actions professing to believe in God and in His ways, but living like the rest of the world Here s the thing People are looking at our lives as followers of Christ Watching as we claim that God has delivered us from the bondage of sin What R they seeing? It would be fair to ask ourselves these Q s Are my actions and attitude allowing the enemy to mock and defame God, or are they causing other believers to stumble in their Christian walk? Are my actions and attitude causing others to want to know the God of love and grace or am I doing damage to my testimony of transformation? Do I have a heart today to honor my Lord by repenting of any sin or stronghold the enemy has upon my life? Will I allow myself to be deceived by the enemy by holding on to my sinful behavior & habits, such as, bitterness, backbiting, unforgiveness, or even an indifferent attitude to other believers? Perhaps you re here today you feel broken, and you re hurting God wants to forgive you and to restore His blessings and peace upon you Psa. 34:18 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. When we Choose to embrace what is important to our Lord choosing to abide in Him and His word, and bringing our heart into alignment with His we are blessable This is not intended to be a message of condemnation, but of healing and love God loves us too much to allow us to live in sin. We must be clear about what is wrong before we can be made right, because there is no peace, or true blessing where sin is present. I like what Alistair Begg said in one of his devos from a few weeks back My Master has riches beyond the calculation of arithmetic, the measurement of reason, the dream of imagination, or the eloquence of 8

9 words. They are unsearchable! You may look and study and ponder, but Jesus is a greater Savior than you think Him to be even when your thoughts are at their best. My Lord is more ready to pardon than you are to sin, more able to forgive than you are to transgress. My Master is more willing to supply your needs than you are to confess them. 2Chr. 7:14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Repentance = Blessing Let s Pray 9