WEBVTT 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:13.300 Hello and welcome to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:14.820 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:16.160 We're Startup Church. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.460 We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:32.299 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect, be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. 00:00:32.600 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:36.920 --> 00:00:40.399 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:45.560 --> 00:00:52.200 All right, so that's the, that's that, right? 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:55.820 And so what happened? 00:00:55.880 --> 00:00:56.700 This happened in 2006. 00:00:56.780 --> 00:00:58.840 We played for three more years, right? 00:00:58.840 --> 00:01:07.019 But in the year of 2010 to 11, he needed full reconstructive spinal surgery, right? 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:12.840 He needed to reconnect the nerves that like died because of this injury, like, you know, had slowly started to die. 00:01:13.359 --> 00:01:16.400 The reason I point this out, you're like, how does Peyton Manning connect to Daniel? 00:01:16.500 --> 00:01:18.219 This is a little weird, Josh, right? 00:01:19.420 --> 00:01:25.379 Daniel was so well versed in what he, how he knew, how he did things, right? 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:26.819 He is 84. 00:01:26.920 --> 00:01:28.159 He's done so many dreams. 00:01:28.159 --> 00:01:32.439 He's the highest official in the land, right? 00:01:32.739 --> 00:01:33.480 Just like Peyton Manning. 00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:35.280 Peyton Manning was, he's called the sheriff. 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:36.379 The dude could throw the ball. 00:01:36.780 --> 00:01:38.579 He'd won a championship at this point. 00:01:38.700 --> 00:01:40.659 Like, he was the dude, right? 00:01:40.900 --> 00:01:51.959 And in this moment where you just feel like you know what you're doing, you have these answered prayers, you have everything in life, and it's just like, well, what happens when that's kind of taken away, right? 00:01:52.359 --> 00:01:55.040 And for Daniel, right, there's three weeks. 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:58.560 We look at this because we can look at the timeline, we're like, oh, there's only three weeks. 00:01:59.540 --> 00:02:02.180 Daniel had no idea it was going to be three weeks, right? 00:02:02.599 --> 00:02:06.400 And so Peyton Manning had a full year where he had to rehab, right? 00:02:07.120 --> 00:02:12.180 And so he had this, he had three spinal surgeries to reconnect these nerves. 00:02:12.620 --> 00:02:15.439 And that was when the Indianapolis Colts caught him. 00:02:15.979 --> 00:02:21.120 And then the Denver Broncos, where I am from, shout out Denver, Colorado, signed him. 00:02:21.120 --> 00:02:24.780 But at that point, he had no idea if he'd ever throw again. 00:02:24.919 --> 00:02:26.340 Like, he had no feeling in his arms. 00:02:26.500 --> 00:02:29.419 Like, he had to really rework, like, the whole way he did something. 00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:43.300 And I think for Daniel especially, like, having answered prayers or having this ability that you know how to do things, but then it not turn out the way you want, it creates this idea that you just don't know the future, right? 00:02:43.840 --> 00:02:47.620 But you still stick to the plan, right? 00:02:47.620 --> 00:02:49.539 So for Daniel, right, he was, he prayed. 00:02:49.639 --> 00:02:50.400 He prayed for three weeks. 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:51.479 He didn't stop, right? 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:54.840 And as we'll get into this, like, it's an answer to prayer, but he didn't know that moment. 00:02:55.319 --> 00:02:58.060 Just as Peyton Manning didn't know that he'd ever play football again. 00:02:58.439 --> 00:02:59.620 Spoiler alert, he did. 00:02:59.979 --> 00:03:02.139 He was really good for the Denver Broncos. 00:03:02.580 --> 00:03:03.319 Won us the Super Bowl. 00:03:03.539 --> 00:03:04.219 I was very happy. 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:12.120 But, right, for us, though, it doesn't have to be this intense fate of a people, right? 00:03:12.139 --> 00:03:15.039 Like, that's what Daniel's praying for, or the fate of our working career. 00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:23.240 But there are big and small things that put us in this state of weakness, right, the state of, like, do I know how to do this? 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:28.479 Am I going to be good at whatever this is again, or am I good at this at all, right? 00:03:28.699 --> 00:03:32.539 The question is, do you quit, right? 00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:38.699 Even if you don't know the outcome, would you still give it all to God, especially in this idea of prayer? 00:03:39.500 --> 00:03:44.580 You know, that's the attitude we need to take from Daniel through the process to start this Daniel 10. 00:03:45.879 --> 00:03:47.120 So we have that. 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:48.099 We have the start. 00:03:48.099 --> 00:03:49.860 We have Daniel's state in the beginning. 00:03:50.259 --> 00:03:53.120 And then this next part is the spiritual opposition to Daniel. 00:03:53.780 --> 00:04:00.060 And if you want to jump down to verses 12 through 14, I won't read that again, but read that through. 00:04:00.539 --> 00:04:02.840 But I am going to go through certain little parts here, right? 00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:15.399 And so this first part, when you read it, it says, you know, since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and humble yourself before God, your words were heard, right? 00:04:15.899 --> 00:04:18.899 So for three weeks, Daniel prayed. 00:04:19.379 --> 00:04:28.000 But what God is saying here is that Daniel's prayers, the very moment he made his request known, that they were heard, right? 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:31.100 So his prayers had been heard on the first day, right? 00:04:31.160 --> 00:04:33.800 So you're like, well, I had to take three weeks, right? 00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:35.240 We're getting into that, right? 00:04:35.620 --> 00:04:38.959 Daniel had been in great and serious prayer for these three weeks. 00:04:39.439 --> 00:04:40.860 That next point, right? 00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:44.259 I have become, I have come because of your words, right? 00:04:44.259 --> 00:04:45.720 I have come in response to them. 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:49.160 I don't think we can pass this lightly, right? 00:04:49.540 --> 00:04:52.079 An angel was dispatched because of Daniel's prayers. 00:04:53.540 --> 00:04:58.939 This is another of many reminders at the book of Daniel that prayer matters, right? 00:04:59.040 --> 00:05:00.060 Prayer matters. 00:05:00.399 --> 00:05:05.959 It isn't merely a therapeutic exercise for us spiritually, right? 00:05:06.120 --> 00:05:12.540 Our prayers for faith, bold prayers can dispatch angels in our behalf, right? 00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:16.439 I don't know if, I'm like, I don't know if I can think about that all the time, right? 00:05:16.459 --> 00:05:18.560 I think it's just for me to get out, right? 00:05:18.579 --> 00:05:19.519 A therapeutic exercise. 00:05:19.939 --> 00:05:24.300 No, God is saying that angels will come to your behalf from faith, bold prayers. 00:05:24.959 --> 00:05:26.339 And then this next part, right? 00:05:27.000 --> 00:05:31.300 It says, the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me for 21 days. 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:34.339 This is the kind of the part where we talk about spiritual warfare. 00:05:36.079 --> 00:05:44.160 Since the prince was able to oppose an angelic messenger of Daniel, we know this was more than just a man, right? 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:57.439 The prince was some kind of, you know, evil being, angelic being, because he was one that he could oppose the word of God coming to Daniel and stood against the angelic messenger that withstood me with 21 days. 00:05:57.560 --> 00:06:00.259 Since the angel was dispatched immediately, right? 00:06:00.519 --> 00:06:03.459 Like we get that point, like when the prayer was heard, he was dispatched. 00:06:03.800 --> 00:06:08.779 So that means that Daniel's period of prayer and self-denial was 21 days, right? 00:06:08.779 --> 00:06:13.439 We see that the answers of the prayer were delayed because of this battle, right? 00:06:13.519 --> 00:06:19.420 A 21-day battle, like even in a modern day, like battles don't, like there's wars, but battles only last like a day or two. 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:29.120 To think about a 21-day fight for a prayer to be answered, it's hard to put our minds around, right? 00:06:30.199 --> 00:06:32.480 You know, but here's what's cool. 00:06:33.019 --> 00:06:35.720 Think about like the three weeks are important with what we just said. 00:06:36.420 --> 00:06:49.339 The correlation between Daniel's time of self-denial and prayer and the time of the duration of the battle between angel and the prince of the kingdom of Persia established a link between Daniel's prayer and the angelic victory. 00:06:50.839 --> 00:07:00.060 Since the angelic victory came on the 21st day, we can surmise that if Daniel would have stopped praying on the 20th day, there's a chance that answer never came. 00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:11.779 You know, I found this quote by this, I don't know his first name, but this pastor, his last name's Archer. 00:07:11.879 --> 00:07:13.920 I found this in one of the commentaries I was reading. 00:07:14.540 --> 00:07:22.040 And he says, there may be hindering factors of which a praying Christian knows nothing as he wonders why the answers to his requests are delayed. 00:07:22.980 --> 00:07:25.300 Nevertheless, he's to keep on praying. 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:34.399 It may be that he will not receive an answer because he was given up on the 20th day when he should have persisted to the 21st day. 00:07:35.639 --> 00:07:35.920 Right? 00:07:37.300 --> 00:07:40.819 And then this last part when he says, now I have come. 00:07:41.699 --> 00:07:43.139 You know, I think this is cool. 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:45.600 We have the spiritual battle. 00:07:45.740 --> 00:07:50.420 We have this idea of this fight for our prayer life happening on a day-to-day basis. 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:54.939 But also, we also know that God is the most powerful. 00:07:55.860 --> 00:07:58.279 He could change that in an instant. 00:07:58.279 --> 00:08:03.399 Just like we know, like right with Jesus, like he could have saved his son on the cross if he really had to. 00:08:04.699 --> 00:08:09.720 But God allowed this kind of conflict because he has a purpose in allowing it. 00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:15.379 He certainly could have blasted away in any moment any demonic opposition. 00:08:16.579 --> 00:08:24.420 But God's plan was probably to use this time of delay to develop Daniel as a man of persistent prayer. 00:08:27.769 --> 00:08:30.709 Persistence in prayer is necessary. 00:08:31.889 --> 00:08:36.009 But not because God is reluctant and needs to be overcome. 00:08:36.710 --> 00:08:39.970 Rather, it's necessary to train us in discipline. 00:08:40.230 --> 00:08:46.269 To train us to go to him, to rely on him and not the answers from him. 00:08:48.389 --> 00:08:51.409 Daniel's success makes us reflect on our failures. 00:08:52.429 --> 00:08:56.210 How much angelic insistence or insight has never been realized? 00:08:56.210 --> 00:08:59.730 Or greatly delayed because of a lack of persistence in prayer? 00:09:01.110 --> 00:09:01.549 Right? 00:09:01.990 --> 00:09:08.490 As I kind of said, like this intensity we can almost really only find in our wars, right? 00:09:08.950 --> 00:09:12.789 The physical battles that we as humans have fought for our whole existence. 00:09:13.009 --> 00:09:18.470 Since the time of Cain and Abel, we've just, you know, as sinful humans, we've kind of sought out to kill each other. 00:09:19.970 --> 00:09:26.149 But there's something so visceral and eye-opening about the stories of perseverance in fighting evil. 00:09:27.090 --> 00:09:29.870 And so I have this, I don't know how many of you guys have seen this movie. 00:09:29.950 --> 00:09:31.250 It's a movie called Unbroken. 00:09:32.009 --> 00:09:33.649 It was released in 2014. 00:09:34.610 --> 00:09:37.610 It's about the experiences of a man named Louis Zamperini. 00:09:38.610 --> 00:09:51.629 After a near-fatal plane crash in World War II, Louis Zamperini spent a terrible 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he was caught by the Japanese Navy. 00:09:51.789 --> 00:09:52.649 This is a true story too. 00:09:52.649 --> 00:09:53.330 This isn't like fake. 00:09:53.669 --> 00:09:55.889 You can look videos up. 00:09:55.970 --> 00:09:56.769 This is him telling this. 00:09:56.870 --> 00:10:00.970 So this isn't like Hollywood overdoing it. 00:10:01.990 --> 00:10:02.090 Right? 00:10:02.289 --> 00:10:06.889 So he was at sea for 47 days. 00:10:07.309 --> 00:10:15.289 And then when he did find a boat came, it was the Japanese boat, the enemy, right? 00:10:15.929 --> 00:10:20.590 And so at that point, he went to be sent as a prisoner of war at a POW camp. 00:10:21.269 --> 00:10:25.250 There he was brutally beaten and singled out by a colonel in the Japanese army. 00:10:28.029 --> 00:10:34.450 Because the colonel found out that Louis Zamperini was a Christian and he despised Christianity. 00:10:35.090 --> 00:10:38.629 So he went after him trying to break his will for God. 00:10:41.059 --> 00:10:44.220 For this, Louis understood about the perseverance of just one more day. 00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:48.820 During this whole time, there's a bigger battle going on between the U.S. and Japan. 00:10:50.179 --> 00:10:51.120 That's what we remember. 00:10:51.899 --> 00:10:54.379 You don't talk like, hey, what do you know about World War II? 00:10:54.480 --> 00:10:55.419 It's like, oh, Louis Zamperini. 00:10:56.279 --> 00:10:57.039 You don't think about it. 00:10:57.080 --> 00:10:58.559 It's like, well, you think about the big points. 00:10:58.659 --> 00:11:06.460 It's like, well, the allies beat the Axis in Germany and in Italy. 00:11:06.740 --> 00:11:09.679 And then we had to go to the Pacific and beat Japan, right? 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:10.659 Those are the big things. 00:11:10.779 --> 00:11:11.519 We think about that. 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:14.899 That's the big overhauling concept, right? 00:11:16.639 --> 00:11:18.279 But it's so important. 00:11:18.419 --> 00:11:19.919 That's so important in the grand scheme of things. 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:26.919 But for Louis, he knew that if he didn't fight the battle in front of him, he would have never got to see the end of the bigger battle. 00:11:29.059 --> 00:11:31.899 I think that perfectly explains the situation in Daniel 10. 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:37.100 Daniel had to persevere with the battle he was dealing with, right? 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:38.399 It was tough. 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:42.120 It says it brought him to his knees in weakness and in pain. 00:11:42.679 --> 00:11:48.860 But as the angel explains, the battle was so much bigger than just about Daniel, right? 00:11:49.240 --> 00:11:57.759 If Daniel didn't have grit, if Daniel didn't grind out the ugly days, the days, you know, day 18, right? 00:11:57.759 --> 00:11:58.519 We think about day 20. 00:11:58.620 --> 00:12:01.700 It's like, I bet you days 15 through 18 were awful, right? 00:12:01.860 --> 00:12:05.500 You know, he ground out the ugly days. 00:12:06.139 --> 00:12:12.820 He would have never have known the bigger plan, the bigger battle going on if he didn't fight out those days. 00:12:13.379 --> 00:12:14.899 For him, it was three weeks. 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:20.919 Louis Zamperini, he had those 47 days, but he was caught in 1943. 00:12:22.340 --> 00:12:25.299 The battles didn't stop until 45, 46. 00:12:26.259 --> 00:12:29.720 Louis Zamperini was in a POW camp for over two years. 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:32.399 So what's the point of this? 00:12:35.059 --> 00:12:37.360 Grit can't have an expiration date. 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:37.559 Right. 00:12:38.940 --> 00:12:45.799 You know, if we give up in the hardest times of our lives, we will never see the bigger picture. 00:12:47.240 --> 00:12:48.899 Never see the answered prayers. 00:12:49.460 --> 00:12:53.519 The miracles God had planned for you, you won't know them. 00:12:56.379 --> 00:12:58.860 The spiritual battle for this world is real. 00:12:59.500 --> 00:13:05.220 And I'm not going to dig all too deep into what that looks like, you know, but feel free to talk to me about it. 00:13:05.259 --> 00:13:06.940 I love the idea of spiritual warfare. 00:13:06.940 --> 00:13:10.700 It's one of my favorite things about biblical theology. 00:13:11.059 --> 00:13:13.100 So feel free to come and talk to me about it. 00:13:13.399 --> 00:13:25.200 But I think for us today, what we need to realize that if we decide to make Jesus Lord of our lives, we fight and live for something bigger than our own wants and needs. 00:13:26.740 --> 00:13:29.620 We become part of a battle against sin. 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:33.899 We kind of know that, but we often don't talk about that. 00:13:33.899 --> 00:13:37.279 We are fighting against Satan on a day-to-day basis. 00:13:37.620 --> 00:13:39.379 He is a very cunning enemy. 00:13:39.940 --> 00:13:41.019 He knows what he's doing. 00:13:41.399 --> 00:13:44.500 Like you said, he held an angelic messenger for 21 days. 00:13:44.720 --> 00:13:46.940 He's not dumb, right? 00:13:47.100 --> 00:13:49.679 We fight a spiritual battle day-to-day. 00:13:50.740 --> 00:13:55.960 And to realize that and to fight through that, we fight it through prayer. 00:13:56.460 --> 00:14:01.279 We fight it through this idea of praying to God and persevering in that prayer. 00:14:02.340 --> 00:14:05.460 And we have one last point. 00:14:06.899 --> 00:14:08.919 It's verses 15 through 19. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:11.000 It's Daniel is strengthened in his weakness. 00:14:15.070 --> 00:14:19.809 Once again, I'm going to look at some of these lines in here. 00:14:19.870 --> 00:14:20.409 Go through them. 00:14:20.549 --> 00:14:21.570 I'm not going to read the full verse. 00:14:21.629 --> 00:14:22.509 So just follow with me. 00:14:24.250 --> 00:14:24.649 Right. 00:14:24.750 --> 00:14:26.309 So we jump in like in verse 15. 00:14:26.350 --> 00:14:30.090 It says, I turned my face towards the ground and became speechless. 00:14:30.809 --> 00:14:31.210 Right. 00:14:31.210 --> 00:14:32.190 So this is idyllic. 00:14:32.269 --> 00:14:35.269 He has this back and forth of like his position. 00:14:35.370 --> 00:14:36.629 I think it's actually really, really important. 00:14:37.289 --> 00:14:40.690 So Daniel started in the ground, verse 9. 00:14:41.250 --> 00:14:43.210 Then he stood up in verse 11. 00:14:44.110 --> 00:14:45.909 And now he's back on his face again. 00:14:46.629 --> 00:14:46.870 Right. 00:14:47.330 --> 00:14:51.309 He is going through the emotions like a 15-year-old kid again. 00:14:51.409 --> 00:14:52.269 He's 84, right? 00:14:52.409 --> 00:14:53.470 He's going through it. 00:14:54.370 --> 00:14:55.070 But here's the point. 00:14:55.169 --> 00:14:59.190 Like he says, because of the vision, my sorrows have overwhelmed me. 00:14:59.769 --> 00:15:03.169 So I looked up the ancient Hebrew word translated for sorrows. 00:15:04.629 --> 00:15:07.389 And we think of sorrows kind of like that sucks. 00:15:07.490 --> 00:15:07.909 It's sad. 00:15:08.429 --> 00:15:08.809 Boo hoo. 00:15:09.029 --> 00:15:10.669 Like it's rough. 00:15:11.110 --> 00:15:13.129 But actually, it's way more intense than that. 00:15:13.570 --> 00:15:13.750 Right. 00:15:14.009 --> 00:15:19.809 It's this thought like sorrow in the ancient Hebrew is the thought of twisting and writhing pain. 00:15:20.370 --> 00:15:22.309 It kind of sounds a little different than boo hoo. 00:15:22.470 --> 00:15:22.690 Right. 00:15:22.769 --> 00:15:26.629 Like writhing pain is like I kind of think of like my back. 00:15:26.629 --> 00:15:29.289 You know, when I've had a back injury, I'm like that hurt. 00:15:29.490 --> 00:15:30.809 Like I felt like an 80-year-old man. 00:15:31.009 --> 00:15:31.129 Right. 00:15:31.190 --> 00:15:32.669 I was like, that was writhing pain. 00:15:33.110 --> 00:15:34.669 You know, like that it was serious. 00:15:35.129 --> 00:15:39.370 You know, it is used in several places in the Old Testament for labor pains and childbirth. 00:15:39.909 --> 00:15:46.230 You know, Daniel was so severely affected by this vision that he could barely breathe. 00:15:48.070 --> 00:15:51.370 Much less could he deal with a prophetic complexity. 00:15:52.409 --> 00:15:52.850 Right. 00:15:52.850 --> 00:15:59.929 And Jared talked about this when talking about chapters 7 and 8. 00:15:59.970 --> 00:16:01.389 Because we kind of jumped from 6 to 9. 00:16:01.490 --> 00:16:01.590 Right. 00:16:01.590 --> 00:16:02.590 You kind of saw that. 00:16:03.990 --> 00:16:05.549 Daniel, right. 00:16:06.070 --> 00:16:11.129 The man who God deemed worthy of seeing visions, visions of God's future. 00:16:11.769 --> 00:16:16.230 I can probably guarantee most of us aren't given that special ability. 00:16:16.370 --> 00:16:17.570 If so, please come talk to me. 00:16:17.590 --> 00:16:18.049 I want to know. 00:16:19.269 --> 00:16:19.830 Right. 00:16:19.830 --> 00:16:26.429 He saw this vision and other visions and saw them extremely prophetically complex, even for him. 00:16:27.190 --> 00:16:29.730 To the point it caused him extreme pain. 00:16:30.950 --> 00:16:36.090 I bring this up to remember that the vision itself shouldn't be the focus of this chapter. 00:16:36.470 --> 00:16:36.570 Right. 00:16:36.590 --> 00:16:38.149 We kind of talk about the vision, the vision, the vision. 00:16:38.309 --> 00:16:39.250 It is in chapter 11. 00:16:39.370 --> 00:16:41.529 Like if we don't, we don't bring it up in chapter 10. 00:16:41.950 --> 00:16:44.590 I think it's important that we're ending in chapter 10. 00:16:44.590 --> 00:16:56.470 Because what was so much more important is Daniel's journey of weakness, perseverance, and strengthening through God that were so much more important than the theological debates about complex visions. 00:16:58.090 --> 00:17:01.470 So as we jump in, right, jump down a little further. 00:17:01.590 --> 00:17:09.470 He says, so when he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, let my Lord speak for you have strengthened me. 00:17:09.670 --> 00:17:10.588 It's in verse 19. 00:17:12.650 --> 00:17:14.588 This is such an important part of this story. 00:17:15.670 --> 00:17:20.009 After so much pain, like I just talked about what sorrow really meant for Daniel. 00:17:20.910 --> 00:17:24.650 Daniel was vulnerable and saying, honestly, that he can't do this. 00:17:25.269 --> 00:17:26.769 He's like, I am too weak, God. 00:17:27.150 --> 00:17:28.829 Like, I don't know, like, entirely. 00:17:29.049 --> 00:17:30.069 However, I'm like, dude, I'm 84. 00:17:30.430 --> 00:17:30.990 Like, chill. 00:17:31.150 --> 00:17:31.789 Like, I'm done. 00:17:32.349 --> 00:17:33.789 I've done your work. 00:17:34.150 --> 00:17:35.890 I've done the things you want me to do. 00:17:36.269 --> 00:17:37.509 I'm in too much pain. 00:17:37.849 --> 00:17:39.549 Too much pain to carry out this last vision. 00:17:41.670 --> 00:17:49.210 If any human being understands life is not easy, especially one live for God. 00:17:50.789 --> 00:17:54.470 And Daniel understood this more than most. 00:17:54.690 --> 00:17:54.990 Right. 00:17:55.049 --> 00:17:58.769 He's been through three regimes. 00:17:59.109 --> 00:17:59.549 Right. 00:17:59.609 --> 00:18:01.930 He's been through countless kings. 00:18:02.710 --> 00:18:08.710 But in the same breath, Daniel also understands that God is a God of promises. 00:18:10.089 --> 00:18:14.809 You know, it's a God of love, understanding and strength. 00:18:15.890 --> 00:18:20.950 And here at the end of his life, where is he going back to his strength? 00:18:21.829 --> 00:18:22.569 It's God. 00:18:23.589 --> 00:18:24.029 Right. 00:18:24.670 --> 00:18:26.369 You know, this dude has seen it all. 00:18:26.990 --> 00:18:31.150 And I think what's so cool, he has every chance to figure this out by himself. 00:18:31.710 --> 00:18:33.109 How many visions has he seen? 00:18:33.170 --> 00:18:33.910 Way more than we have. 00:18:34.289 --> 00:18:34.529 Right. 00:18:34.690 --> 00:18:36.369 Way more than anybody in the world has. 00:18:36.369 --> 00:18:40.130 How many complex situations has he dealt with? 00:18:40.250 --> 00:18:41.329 More than we could think of. 00:18:41.890 --> 00:18:41.990 Right. 00:18:42.190 --> 00:18:44.470 He could have easily figured this out on his own, probably. 00:18:44.829 --> 00:18:50.130 You know, given something that was spiritually inclined, spiritually smart, like a spiritually good answer. 00:18:51.150 --> 00:18:52.470 Or even I think of this other way. 00:18:52.670 --> 00:18:54.450 Kind of like I've said about his tiredness. 00:18:54.769 --> 00:18:56.509 He's in his 80s. 00:18:57.170 --> 00:18:58.089 He could have walked away. 00:18:59.289 --> 00:19:02.490 He could have been like, God, hand this off to somebody else. 00:19:03.269 --> 00:19:03.529 Right. 00:19:03.529 --> 00:19:06.390 This is like, that's actually biblical for some people. 00:19:06.829 --> 00:19:09.750 Moses doesn't get to see the promised land. 00:19:09.890 --> 00:19:10.789 It's handed off to Joshua. 00:19:10.849 --> 00:19:12.809 Now, Moses messed up, but still old. 00:19:12.910 --> 00:19:13.890 Like, he couldn't do it. 00:19:14.269 --> 00:19:14.430 Right. 00:19:14.450 --> 00:19:15.269 It was his time. 00:19:15.809 --> 00:19:17.190 Daniel easily could have said that. 00:19:17.369 --> 00:19:19.750 Daniel could have been like, push it on to another prophet. 00:19:19.869 --> 00:19:20.809 I can't do this anymore. 00:19:22.430 --> 00:19:23.930 But instead, what does he do? 00:19:23.990 --> 00:19:28.130 He goes to the angel in vulnerability and says, help me. 00:19:29.750 --> 00:19:30.190 Right. 00:19:30.190 --> 00:19:33.309 So he goes back to God. 00:19:33.329 --> 00:19:34.109 And what does God do? 00:19:34.690 --> 00:19:36.289 He strengthens him one more time. 00:19:36.769 --> 00:19:40.349 And going into Daniel 11, he is ready to do the will of God one more time. 00:19:40.349 --> 00:19:42.029 As it says there in verse 19, right. 00:19:42.069 --> 00:19:45.069 He says, let my Lord speak for you have strengthened me. 00:19:48.289 --> 00:19:56.329 I want to wrap up this last section of verses with some lyrics from this song that has been kind of getting me in this idea of finding God in my weakness. 00:19:57.730 --> 00:19:59.289 Him being my strength. 00:19:59.970 --> 00:20:02.349 I'm going to read the first verse into this course. 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:04.349 The song is called Find Me. 00:20:04.430 --> 00:20:06.450 It's by a man named Jonathan David Hessler. 00:20:07.150 --> 00:20:10.369 I'm going to read the first verse in the chorus. 00:20:10.490 --> 00:20:11.230 And we'll go from there. 00:20:12.829 --> 00:20:14.890 Says I fall down upon the ground. 00:20:15.710 --> 00:20:17.130 Press my face against the earth. 00:20:17.849 --> 00:20:19.950 Till my heart it rises over my head. 00:20:20.930 --> 00:20:23.869 As the weed it bows down low when the autumn wind blows. 00:20:24.430 --> 00:20:26.150 I kneel before the one I love. 00:20:27.869 --> 00:20:28.730 Find me grateful. 00:20:29.230 --> 00:20:29.890 Find me thankful. 00:20:30.509 --> 00:20:31.769 Find me on my knees. 00:20:32.809 --> 00:20:33.809 Find me dreaming. 00:20:34.069 --> 00:20:34.710 Find me singing. 00:20:35.549 --> 00:20:37.049 Find me lost in your grace. 00:20:40.470 --> 00:20:42.269 Not just in verses 15 through 19. 00:20:43.069 --> 00:20:44.289 Not just in Daniel 10. 00:20:44.869 --> 00:20:47.769 But in almost all of the circumstances we have found Daniel. 00:20:48.150 --> 00:20:49.490 We have found him praying. 00:20:50.369 --> 00:20:51.690 Most of the time on the ground. 00:20:52.450 --> 00:20:58.569 We found Daniel grateful, thankful, pleading, dreaming and singing to God. 00:21:00.269 --> 00:21:01.609 So I have this question for us. 00:21:02.230 --> 00:21:03.069 Where does God find you? 00:21:04.029 --> 00:21:05.089 Good question, bro. 00:21:06.049 --> 00:21:06.970 Where does God find me? 00:21:08.450 --> 00:21:10.769 Think about that a lot lately. 00:21:11.490 --> 00:21:13.910 You know, I shared a little bit about our grit and toughness, right? 00:21:13.970 --> 00:21:15.250 This idea of persevering through prayer. 00:21:15.329 --> 00:21:17.170 I'm like, or persevering through just our life. 00:21:17.269 --> 00:21:18.789 I'm like, sometimes you just got to grit it out. 00:21:18.990 --> 00:21:20.049 I don't think I've talked about enough. 00:21:20.230 --> 00:21:22.829 Sometimes there's something about human will and gritting things out. 00:21:24.009 --> 00:21:36.490 But if we don't combine that with a humble reverence for our creator, the creator of the heaven and the universe, the God who made us from dust, we will never find the strength to live as disciples. 00:21:38.210 --> 00:21:41.269 So once again, where does God find you? 00:21:43.619 --> 00:21:53.059 So as we wrap up Daniel 10, but more importantly, as we wrap up the series of Daniel, I want us to reflect on prayer, especially in the terms of Daniel 10. 00:21:54.460 --> 00:21:58.160 Daniel's life was truly defined by the aspect of prayer. 00:21:58.779 --> 00:22:12.480 The man we read about that interpreted visions for multiple kings became one of the high officials for three different regimes, escaped the lions then, he wouldn't be that man without a life of preserving through prayer. 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:18.539 But Daniel's zeal for prayer didn't change from his teenage years through his final days on this earth. 00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:26.880 So no matter what age you are in this room, we all can be convicted by the man that Daniel was in his prayer life. 00:22:28.160 --> 00:22:31.839 We must have a heart to preserve. 00:22:32.819 --> 00:22:33.539 We are humans. 00:22:34.140 --> 00:22:42.460 If men like Daniel are going to go and have periods of great weakness, great sorrow, spoiler alert, so are you, right? 00:22:43.539 --> 00:22:53.279 But we have learned so much in this past month and a half on how powerful our God is, how important it is to pray, especially in the tough times. 00:22:54.019 --> 00:22:59.200 Daniel 10 opens up this whole world of spiritual battles that we partake in every day. 00:23:00.119 --> 00:23:05.380 Don't be the one who gives up when God is trying to see what kind of character you have when the times get hard. 00:23:06.299 --> 00:23:10.000 Be someone who is strengthened through the fire and doesn't fold in the fire. 00:23:11.359 --> 00:23:17.339 And lastly, as we head towards communion, let us think about the strength we find in God. 00:23:18.420 --> 00:23:22.720 Daniel never went into a situation without knowing God was with him, right? 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:24.660 He fought like he didn't get that vision. 00:23:24.660 --> 00:23:28.019 He didn't learn the vision in Daniel 11 until he was strengthened by God. 00:23:28.180 --> 00:23:30.579 He didn't go into it without that strength. 00:23:32.400 --> 00:23:41.220 So I think that is only fitting that this sermon ends with a prayer for our communion time and persevering in our prayer. 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:42.539 So let us pray. 00:23:44.609 --> 00:23:47.329 Dear God, I'm so grateful. 00:23:47.549 --> 00:23:48.369 I'm grateful for the Bible. 00:23:50.250 --> 00:23:53.309 How many times you've just shown us the way to live. 00:23:53.789 --> 00:23:54.750 I'm grateful for Daniel. 00:23:55.329 --> 00:24:08.829 God, I can't wait to talk with him one day, to figure out how it was like to persevere through such hard times, to go from a king to king, to not get killed, to persevere through that prayer when things looked so dark. 00:24:09.410 --> 00:24:16.150 I'm just so grateful that there have been men and women that have gone before us that have shown us the path of your power. 00:24:16.829 --> 00:24:18.190 God, let us not forget that. 00:24:18.609 --> 00:24:21.910 We live in such a rich world here in America. 00:24:21.910 --> 00:24:29.509 We're so grateful to live in this place, but also it gives us this idea that we are the Lord and we're not. 00:24:30.210 --> 00:24:30.730 We're not. 00:24:30.829 --> 00:24:32.829 We need to persevere in prayer with you, God. 00:24:33.349 --> 00:24:35.130 Understand that you are our king. 00:24:35.529 --> 00:24:36.250 You're our creator. 00:24:36.410 --> 00:24:40.549 You create us from the dust, and we need to fight for that prayer on a day-to-day basis. 00:24:40.730 --> 00:24:46.230 God, let us not quit on the 20th day or the 25th day or however long it takes. 00:24:46.250 --> 00:24:47.970 Don't quit on the 10th year, the 20th year. 00:24:47.970 --> 00:24:54.069 Keep praying the prayers until it matters, until the character is brought out in us, God. 00:24:54.809 --> 00:24:58.730 So as we take communion, I just want us to be thankful for your son. 00:24:58.930 --> 00:25:03.670 Pray, just remember that this is so much bigger than us, that we fight for a battle for your kingdom, God. 00:25:04.069 --> 00:25:05.210 Just super grateful for you. 00:25:05.549 --> 00:25:06.109 Love you, God. 00:25:06.410 --> 00:25:06.869 In your name I pray. 00:25:07.369 --> 00:25:07.549 Amen. 00:25:12.759 --> 00:25:17.220 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:20.880 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:28.500 Please go to kalamazoo.church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. 00:25:28.740 --> 00:25:31.119 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week.