SERMON: LOOKING FOR JESUS

 

25 November 2012

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to John 1:19-31

John 1:19-31 (NIV)
19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.
20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."
21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."
22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"
24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent
25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know.
27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."
28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'
31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

-- a couple of years ago, we watched the movie "Henry Poole is Here," starring Luke Wilson -- don't know if any of you happened to catch that movie or not -- it wasn't a big hit, but its message really touched my life
-- the movie focuses on the life of Henry Poole -- Henry has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness -- he has no family -- nothing to live for -- and is not in a good frame of mind -- he decides to go back to the only place that held any happy memories for him -- his childhood neighborhood in a working class suburb of Los Angeles -- there he plans to live out the rest of his days
-- when his childhood home is not available to purchase, Henry buys the only house for sale in the neighborhood and finds himself immediately plunged into a drama of faith and hope that contrasts sharply with his current life situation
-- as he is moving in, Esperanza Martinez, Henry's neighbor, drops by to visit him -- it turns out she used to be in love with the man who owned Henry's house before him -- and so she has taken this opportunity to revisit the memories of her time she spent with him in this place
-- while she is visiting with Henry, she goes into the back yard and "insists that she sees the face of Christ imbedded in the stucco wall of his home"1 -- Esperanza believes this is a miracle sent for her to comfort her in the loss of her lover -- and she only becomes even more convinced when the image begins to exude drops of blood from the eye of Jesus
-- before long, Esperanza is sneaking people into Henry's back yard to see the image and to experience this blessing from Jesus for themselves
-- Henry, on the other hand, sees nothing but a water stain from an inferior stucco job on his house -- and he becomes increasingly irritated with Esperanza's acceptance of this stain as a miracle from God in light of his own impending death
-- at one point in the movie he yells at her, "That is nothing but a water stain -- that is not the face of God" -- to which she replies, "You're not looking"

-- this scene in the movie reminded me of an old poem I once read of a child looking for God -- I probably have shared this with you in the past, but let me share it again this morning:

“The child whispered, "God, speak to me" -- And a meadow lark sang. -- But, the child did not hear.
-- So the child yelled, "God, speak to me!" -- And the thunder rolled across the sky -- But the child did not listen.
-- The child looked around and said, "God let me see you" and a star shone brightly -- But the child did not notice
-- And the child shouted, "God show me a miracle!" -- And a life was born -- but the child did not know.
-- So the child cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here!" -- Whereupon God reached down and touched the child. -- But the child brushed the butterfly away and walked away unknowingly.”

-- how often do we walk away unknowingly -- how often do we fail to see Jesus around us -- simply because we are not looking?
-- God tells us to seek His face -- He tells us to look for Him -- in fact, that's one of the four steps to revival from 2 Chronicles 7:14 we have been studying over the last several weeks -- as you remember, God told us in this verse that when we are confronted with trials and troubles -- when plagues and famines and hardships come upon us because we have turned away from Him -- that if we return to Him by humbling ourselves and praying and seeking His face and turning from our wicked ways, He will hear our prayers and forgive our sins and heal our land
-- in a very real way, our country is faced with the same issues that faced Henry Poole in that movie -- things look bad in America today -- we've experienced trials and troubles -- plagues and famines -- homelessness, hunger, hardships -- times are hard -- times are tough -- but what do we do about it?
-- Henry Poole looked at the world with worldly eyes -- with eyes of sadness and anger and defeat because of the hand he had been dealt -- because of the terminal illness he had been diagnosed with -- he looked and did not see hope -- he did not see God -- he only saw a water stain
-- Esperanza, though, looked at the world with eyes of faith -- in spite of her own deep suffering from the loss of her great love, Esperanza trusted in God -- she looked for God -- she sought His face and His presence in her life -- and when God showed up, even in the most unlikely of places, she saw Him and she knew Him
-- as Christians -- as God's people -- called by His Name -- we are commanded to do the same -- to seek God's face -- to look past our circumstances to the hope we have in Christ -- to look at life through the eyes of faith instead of the eyes of the world -- and to point this nation to the Jesus they so desperately need

II. Scripture Lesson (John 1:19-31)

-- in this passage we opened with this morning, we can learn a lot about what it means to seek the face of God -- to look and see and to point others to Christ's presence among us

-- this passage is about John the Baptist -- for quite some time, John has been preaching in the wilderness of Judea -- proclaiming to the world that the Messiah was coming and that the kingdom of God was at hand -- he has been calling the people to look with eyes of faith -- to repent of their sins and to prepare their hearts for the coming of the Lord

-- in a parallel passage in the gospel of Mark, we read that all the country of Judea and all of Jerusalem were going out to listen to John and to be baptized by him in the Jordan River -- well, it wasn't long before the organized church became aware of what was going on
-- they noticed that many in their congregation -- both men and women -- rich and poor -- young and old -- were leaving the confines of the synagogues -- were turning their backs on the temple -- and were seeking God in the wilderness
-- this worried the religious leaders -- why were these people not happy with doing church in the same old way? -- why were these people looking outside the walls of the church for God when everyone knew that was the only place He showed up? -- why were these people forsaking the tradition of the synagogue and the temple to seek God in the wilderness?
-- and, so, they went to the wilderness to see John and to find out what was going on

-- look back at verse 19-22

19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was.
20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."
21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."
22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

-- in John Chapter 5, Jesus gives us an important spiritual principle -- He tells us that the Father is always at work -- and that He, too, is working and has joined His Father in this work
-- the principle for us here is that we should look to see where God is working, and join Him there -- regardless of whether that's in the church or outside the church -- regardless of whether it's in the traditional way or in a new way
-- but that's not why the priests and the Levites came out to John in the wilderness -- they didn't come looking for God -- they didn't come looking for a miracle -- they certainly didn't come to join in John's work -- instead, they came to find out who he was and why he dared minister to others even though he was not a priest or a Levite himself
-- in their minds, only certain people could minister the grace of God to others -- John obviously wasn't a priest or Levite -- so who was he? -- what gave him the authority to do what he was doing?
-- was he the Christ? -- no
-- was he Elijah? -- no
-- was he the Prophet promised by Moses? -- no
-- then who was he?

-- verse 23

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'"

-- in other words, "I am someone who has seen the Messiah -- and I have come to point Him out to you -- I have come to open your eyes -- so that you may see Him, too"
-- this passage confirms the truth of 2 Chronicles 7:14 -- when God is getting ready to reveal Himself and His ways and His purposes to the world, He puts it on the heart of His people to seek revival -- to seek renewing -- to seek His face
-- John's purpose was not to bring glory to himself -- John's purpose was to get the nation ready for the coming Messiah -- to point them to the One who could restore the nation spiritually and renew their hope in God
-- he called the people to join him at the Jordan River -- to humbles themselves and pray and seek God's face and turn from their wicked ways by confessing their sins and being baptized -- that was how John was preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah -- that was how he made straight the way for the Lord

-- verse 24

24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent
25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know.
27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."

-- don't miss what is going on in this exchange between John and the Pharisees -- picture this in your mind -- on one side you have John standing there, dressed in camel skins with a rope for a belt -- wild and untamed and unkempt
-- and on the other side you have the religious elite -- dressed in their flowing robes -- with their prayer shawls hanging down and the tassels touching the dirt -- with their phylacteries -- their little boxes -- containing the word of God tied around their forehead or bound on their wrist
-- of the two, who would you have expected to have seen and tasted God? -- who would you have expected to recognize the presence of God in their midst?
-- certainly the Pharisees -- but their question to John shows their blindness and ignorance -- standing there, immersed in the trappings of religion -- surrounded by their tradition and authority -- they are unable to see because their eyes have not been open -- they are unable to see because they are not looking -- they are unable to see because they won't look
-- John tells them, "I am not the One -- but I know the One I am looking for -- He is standing right here among you -- but you just won't see Him -- you refuse to see because you won't look"

-- verse 28-31

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30 This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'
31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."

-- the very next day, the writer tells us that Jesus came to John by the Jordan River as he was baptizing near Bethany -- don't forget, John was not alone -- he was surrounded by the crowds of people from Judea and Jerusalem who had come in response to his call for revival and restoration and repentance -- and, without a doubt, those same Pharisees who had questioned him were probably still there watching and judging
-- all those people were there with John when Jesus walked by -- but look at verse 29 -- this makes all the difference -- John saw Jesus
-- John looked up, with eyes of faith, and saw Jesus -- not just another man responding to the call -- not just his cousin coming to visit -- but Jesus, his Lord and Savior
-- we're not told that anyone else saw Jesus that day -- sure, they saw the man -- but very few saw their God -- simply because they were not looking

-- John looked up and saw Jesus approaching and proclaimed, "Look -- there He is"
-- as Christians, we are called to do just what John did -- we are called to first seek out the face of God -- to look for Him in our midst -- and then to point out the presence of the living Christ to those around us -- to everyone who doesn't see -- to those who aren't looking
-- we are to point to the wall and say, "That's more than just a water stain -- that's the face of God"

-- John goes on to say that he recognized Jesus as the Son of God because God had revealed it to him -- all we can do is point people to Christ -- all we can do is tell them that Jesus is here
-- it's not our place to open their eyes -- it's not our place to open their hearts -- that is the work of the Holy Spirit -- Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would reveal all things, even Himself
-- our job -- as God's people, called by His name -- is to seek God's face and to pray for revival in this nation -- not that our nation would be made great -- but that God's name would be magnified above all

III. Closing
-- I want to close by sharing with you a story that I read on the internet that I think speaks quite well to our topic today -- it's called "Seeing Jesus"2

-- "I wanted to see Jesus today. -- [Instead] I saw the old man instead standing by the pump at the gas station. -- We said hello to each other as we shared our smiles and left on our way.
-- I wanted to see Jesus today. -- [Instead] I saw the most delightful little child with his mother and she was so sweet to him at the Wal-Mart. -- I smiled at each and the little fella reached out to touch my arm and my heart as I said, "Hello, little one." -- He laughingly fled away -- I stood there smiling and beaming from the purest and sweetest touch of innocence.
-- I wanted to see Jesus today. -- [Instead] I saw the old lady, a bent figure with curved spine holding two very heavy shopping bags -- She looked so tired -- I watched as she tried to cross the street -- I was afraid she wouldn't make it -- so I said, 'let me carry those things for you' and she did -- We made it across the street and I carried those bags up 3 full blocks right to her doorstep -- She thanked me and I felt so good.
-- I wanted to see Jesus today. -- [Instead] I saw the man at the train station, he asked for spare change and I looked at him. -- Without thought of what he would do with the change, I gave it to him -- I did so with a prayer and blessing -- Then I left and caught the train home.
-- You see I really wanted to see Jesus today and He really wanted to see me too.
-- It was then that I realized that we had seen each other all throughout the day -- He was inside a different shell each time that I saw Him, but it was He -- His face and expressions would be different each time, but He was always the same -- He wanted to see me and know what I would do each time that I met Him.
-- You see, I really did want to see Jesus today -- and I did"

-- the Pharisees and the Levites and the priests missed the first coming of Jesus -- not because He wasn't there -- but because they weren't looking and because they refused to see when God revealed Jesus to them -- in their minds, they thought they knew how the Messiah would come -- and so they refused to see Him in a manger in Bethlehem -- they couldn't see Him as a boy teaching in temple -- they wouldn't see Him as a Savior on the cross
-- they didn't see Jesus because they didn't look -- and, so, they missed the miracle in their midst

-- as we close this morning, I want to ask you to think about three questions as you leave this place and go back to the world
-- first, "When was the last time you saw Jesus?" -- not in a church service -- not in a religious text -- but in the midst of your day -- in the midst of your busy lives
-- second, "Are you truly looking for Jesus?" -- are you seeking Him and His presence everyday?
-- and, finally, "When is the last time you pointed Jesus out to others? -- when is the last time you told someone, "Look, there He is!"?"

-- let us pray


1 "Henry Poole is Here," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Poole_Is_Here
2 "Seeing Jesus," Maria Carey, http://www.sermonillustrator.org/illustrator/sermon2c/seeing_jesus.htm

SERMON: STANDING IN THE GAP

 

17 November 2012

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Ezekiel 22:30

Ezekiel 22:30 (NIV)
30 "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.

-- most of you here know who Billy Graham is, but some of you are young enough that you may not have heard of him -- without a doubt, Billy Graham was our country's greatest evangelist -- he's retired now, but throughout the course of his ministry, God used him to reach hundreds of thousands of people -- not only in our country -- but across the world
-- Early in his career, Graham had started preaching at evangelistic crusades across the country -- but these were relatively small events -- about the same as any other tent meeting being held around the country -- but things were about to change
-- in 1949, he scheduled a crusade for Los Angeles that was to last for three weeks, but from the start, it appeared that the crusade was destined for failure
-- Graham had been invited there by several local businessmen, but the churches in the area were split, with most not wanting him to come -- also, they didn't have enough money for the event -- they needed almost four times what they had available.
-- So Graham met with the businessmen and agreed to come, but only if several conditions were met -- first, they had to recognize that they had serious problems, financially and logistically -- second, they had to turn the problems over to God -- and finally, they had to expect God to work to unite the churches in the city and to increase the attendance
-- to show God that they expected Him to work -- in a demonstration of their faith -- Graham told them they had to buy a bigger tent -- it was unusual at that time for more than 2,000 people to come to such an event, and it was considered highly successful if they had 50 people come forward at the invitation -- but Graham said they were limiting God -- he felt like God wanted to do something amazing in Los Angeles
-- the first few nights of the event surpassed anyone's expectations -- Graham had crowds of three to four thousand showing up nightly to hear him preach, but Graham said that he sensed something was building -- he sensed God was working in the event
-- and to make a long story short, the crusade did not end in three weeks as scheduled because something extraordinary happened -- God showed up
-- the crusade went on for eight weeks, with over 11,000 people attending the last meeting -- in that eight week period, Graham had preached to hundreds of thousands of people, and thousands of people had accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior -- God sent revival and refreshing in a manner that hadn't been seen since the Great Awakening at the turn of the 19th century
-- after the crusade was over, everyone asked the same question -- why was this crusade so successful? -- why did God show up and His Spirit move in such an amazing way at this event when He hasn't done so at other similar events?
-- here's what Graham thinks -- after he got back to Minneapolis, two little girls ran up to him and said, "Uncle Billy, we prayed for you." -- and Graham concludes the story in his autobiography, "Just As I Am," by saying it was the prayers of these two little girls and his own daughters and all the others around the country that made the difference -- knowing that he had people praying for him every night put it all in perspective -- "That was the whole secret of everything that had happened: God had answered prayer."

-- this morning, we are continuing in our series on revival -- focusing on our role and our responsibility as Christians to bring revival and restoration to our country -- I hope by now you are really starting to understand that the problems in America today are not the result of the policies of Washington, but the failure of God's people to do what God has called them to do
-- just as Lot failed in his responsibility to reach out to the people of Sodom, Christians in America have failed in our responsibility to turn this nation upside-down for Christ and to make disciples of all those around us
-- in the book of Ezekiel, God told the prophet Ezekiel that His judgment is about to fall on the nation of Israel because they have turned from Him -- because they have chased after other gods and disobeyed God's commands -- but God tells Ezekiel that He doesn't want to pour out His wrath and judgment on the nation -- He doesn't want to see the nation destroyed -- He wants the people to turn back to Him -- to return to Him with all their hearts -- and, if they do so, He will hold back His wrath and judgment from the nation
-- so in the verse we opened with, God asks Ezekiel -- "Who will stand in the gap? -- Who will stand up for the nation and defend them and lead them back to Me?"

-- I believe that God is asking that same question of us -- are we willing to stand in the gap to defend this nation and lead the people back to God? -- are we willing to turn to God on behalf of America and ask for His hand to move across this nation once again? -- are we willing to be the catalyst for true and lasting change in this land?

-- we've been using as our source text for this series the verse from 2 Chronicles 7:14 -- anyone know it by now? -- anyone want to recite it this morning?
-- "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 will I hear from heaven and forgive their sins and will heal their land."
-- as we've been saying, in this verse God told the nation of Israel the steps they had to follow to bring revival and restoration to their nation -- the same four steps we must follow if we are to be the watchmen who stand in the gap for America
-- last week, we talked about what it means to be humble -- to humble ourselves before God on behalf of our nation
-- this week, we are going to talk about prayer -- not just everyday prayer -- not just prayer before a meal or in our quiet times -- but intercessory prayer -- prayer that stands in the gap and asks God to move in our land again

II. Standing in the Gap (Daniel 9:1-19)
-- in 1 Timothy 2:1-3 Paul wrote, "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone -- for kings and all those in authority -- that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. -- This is good, and pleases God our Savior"
-- God wants us to intercede for our nation and those around us -- to stand before Him on behalf of this country and to pray for those in authority above us

-- Daniel did the same thing for the nation of Israel when he was in captivity in Babylon -- and we can learn a lot about standing in the gap through prayer from his example -- if you would, turn over to Daniel 9 and let's look at Daniel's prayer of intercession

-- verse 1-2

1 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom--
2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

-- as you probably remember, Daniel was one of the young men who had been taken into captivity into Babylon when Nebuchadnezzer conquered Jerusalem -- this happened because the people had been unfaithful -- they had turned away from God and put their faith in their own strength and in the strength of the nations around them -- they had forgotten that God was the One who had brought them into the land -- they had forgotten the miracles God had done on their behalf -- so God used Nebuchadnezzer and the nation of Babylon as an instrument of His wrath
-- by this time, Babylon has fallen and the Medes and Persians have taken over as the world's second great empire -- Daniel is still in Babylon serving the royal throne, although now he serves Darius instead of Nebuchadnezzer
-- here's the important thing to get out of these two verses -- it says Daniel "understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord"
-- that tells us, first, that Daniel spent time with the Lord in His word -- God speaks to us in various ways, but the primary way that He speaks to us is through His word -- if we are not spending time with God in His word, then we are not going to be hearing from Him on a regular basis -- we need to make it point to spend time in the Bible each and every day
-- secondly, Daniel "understood" what the word said -- he wasn't just reading the Bible to get through it in a year -- he wasn't just reading it to say that he had done so -- he read with a purpose -- he read with open ears -- he read listening for God's voice and then spent time asking God what it meant so he would understand what God was saying
-- every time we open the Bible, we need to ask God to speak to us and to reveal to us His presence and His word and His ways and ask Him what He wants us to do with what we have read -- we need to do more than just read -- we need to read with comprehension and understanding and then act on what God tells us to do -- just like Daniel

-- verse 3-4a

3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed:

-- when Daniel understood the need, he turned to the Source of Hope
-- Daniel didn't turn to the Darius -- he didn't go to the government -- he knew that all the king's horses and all the king's men could not put his country back together again
-- he knew that Israel's only hope was in God
-- where do we turn for help? -- when we have a problem in our lives? -- when we see a need in our country -- where do we go for help?
-- do we look to Washington or to Heaven?


-- verse 4

4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands,

-- Daniel knew God -- he had a relationship with God -- he knew God's heart -- he knew that God kept His covenant of love with those who loved Him -- with those who obeyed His commands
-- Daniel acknowledged the greatness and overwhelming faithfulness of God -- if the people would just turn back to God -- if they would love Him again -- if they would obey His commands again -- then God would be faithful to His covenant and would pour out His blessings on the nation once again
-- remember why the nations of Israel and Judah were exiled in the first place -- it wasn't because God turned His back on them -- it was because they turned their back on Him
-- Daniel praises God for His faithfulness and His love and stands on the promise that God is waiting for Israel and Judah to return to Him with their whole hearts

-- verse 5

5 we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.
6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 "Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame--the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you.
8 O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you.
9 The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;
10 we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.
11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.

-- I can sum up these verses in just five words -- Daniel stood in the gap
-- Daniel falls to his knees and confesses the ways that the nations of Israel and Judah have sinned against God -- he admits that the people were at fault -- it wasn't God who sent them to Babylon -- it was the sins of the people that sent them into exile -- it was their rebellious and disobedient hearts that landed them in captivity
-- notice the way Daniel prays here -- starting in verse 5 he says, "We" have sinned and done wrong -- "We" have been wicked and rebelled -- "We" have turned away from your commands and laws -- "We" have not listened to your servants the prophets
-- we, we, we
-- now, hold your place here and turn over to Daniel 6:1-5

Daniel 6:1-5 (NIV)
1 It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,
2 with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss.
3 Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
4 At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.
5 Finally these men said, "We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God."

-- Daniel was so righteous and honest and faithful to God that his enemies could not find any grounds to bring charges against him -- they could find no corruption -- no dishonesty -- no sins that would keep him from serving the king
-- now look back at Daniel 9 again -- even though Daniel remained faithful to God -- even though Daniel was upright and righteous in God's sight -- even though Daniel had a vibrant and real relationship with God -- he still prayed, "We have sinned..."
-- Daniel stood with Israel -- he identified with their sin and accepted his responsibility in the sins of the nation -- we must do the same
-- even though we may not have committed the sins our nation are guilty of -- even though we may not have disobeyed and turned away from God -- we need to stand in the gap for America and confess our national sins and ask God to move on our behalf again
-- we have been placed in America for such a time as this -- we are here to stand up for America and ask God to bring her back to a saving faith again -- we are here to seek revival and restoration and healing for our country
-- and that means standing for her as Daniel stood for Israel and confessing to God, "We have sinned..."

-- look at the second part of verse 11-14

11 All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you.
"Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you.
12 You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.
13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.
14 The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.

-- God's judgment against Israel and Judah was just and righteous -- the people had sinned -- the people had disobeyed -- the people had rebelled -- and, even though God had warned them through His prophets, they refused to return -- so God's judgment fell on the nation
-- once again, don't miss why God allowed this to happen -- down in verse 13, Daniel points out that all this disaster came upon them because they did not seek the favor of God -- because they turned away from Him and refused to listen to the truth and repent of their sins
-- God allows us to suffer the consequences of our sin -- not as a punishment -- but as a discipline -- to chasten us and lead us back to Him and to keep us from straying again -- that is the reason the people of Israel were in captivity in Babylon -- that is the reason the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years before they came into the promised land -- the people had to experience God's chastening hand in order to see the depth of their sin and turn back to God in true repentance
-- God disciplines to lead us back to Him

-- verse 15-19

15 "Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong.
16 O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
17 "Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.
18 Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.
19 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."

-- having confessed his sin and the sins of the nation, Daniel appeals to God for restoration and healing -- not because the people were righteous -- they were far from righteous, just as we are far from righteousness on our own
-- Daniel appealed to God because of who He was -- because of His great mercy -- and because of His glory
-- to bring healing and restoration to Israel -- to bring the people back to the Promised Land -- would bring glory to God's name as a watching world saw the way He was faithful and loving to the people who were called by His name
-- we need to ask God to revive America -- not for America's sake -- but because it will bring glory to His name
-- I have no doubt that God's hand was in the founding of America -- for over 200 years, America was a shining light -- a city set on a hill -- an example of the greatness of a Christian nation
-- and, if God were to restore this fallen nation -- if God were to bring our country back to its former greatness -- if the world was to see how God blesses America -- it would bring glory to His holy name
-- remember, this is not our story -- it is not our land -- it's not about us -- it's all about Him -- and that needs to be the focus of our prayers and our hopes and our dreams


III. Closing
-- John Wesley once said, "Give me 100 preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergy or laymen, such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven on earth. God does nothing but in answer to prayer."

-- as we close this morning, I want to leave you with these final thoughts on interceding for our nation to bring about healing and restoration as God promises in 2 Chronicles 7:14
-- how can we stand in the gap for our country? -- what should we pray?
-- we begin by humbling ourselves and confessing our sins, just as Daniel did -- we admit to God that we have sinned -- that we have failed to be an obedient church -- that we have failed to be an obedient people
-- and then we ask God to begin to change the hearts of the people -- from the politicians in Washington and Atlanta all the way down to the people in the pews on Sunday morning
-- pray that they would know God's will for their lives and this country -- pray that they would do God's will
-- pray that their eyes and ears would be opened so they could see the truth -- so they could see how their lives and their behaviors and their practices fail to line up with God's word -- and pray that they would adjust their lives to God
-- pray for America to be productive -- not just economically -- but spiritually -- at one point our country sent out more missionaries to the world than any other country -- now, we receive more missionaries than any other country -- pray that this would be turned upside-down
-- pray for our leaders to be humble in all their ways -- pray that God's power would be made known in their lives and the policies they promote would be kingdom-based and not party-based
-- and pray that all in this country would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ
[Partially modified from John Maxwell, Partners in Prayer]

-- these are things that we can do to stand in the gap -- these are things we must do if we truly want to see our country restored to greatness
-- as I close, I pray that all of you would be modern-day Daniels -- standing in the gap for America
-- let us pray