Fox Valley Church

Our Easter Series will be called Hope: Desiring a Better World. All of us have deep longings and intense desires for a more perfect world. The people that lined the streets on Palm Sunday were looking for something more, something better, something different. They were hoping for a better world. We are really no different. We live in a world of disappointments, discouragements, disease, death and more. All of us have unfulfilled expectations. We know too, hope can be tender and fragile, so we seek a hope that is grounded and resilient. Then on Easter Sunday, we discover others finding “hope” among a pantheon of gods, all of them promising something bigger, something better, something more. Paul breaks in with a description of the One True God who promises the hope of a Better World. The proof of this radical, well-grounded hope is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection promises the hope of eternal life in a perfect world of love.

God, the Creator, stands overall and is unlimited. He has no needs, rather he gives life to all. He is deeply personal and cares for people. He wants to be known. He created all the nations so that “they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him.” Often, because we are finite, we try to imagine God is somehow like us. We limit Him or Now He calls us to see Him as He truly is! He has appointed His Son to bring accountability to all. The resurrection is evidence of God’s plan and ways. [Note: This will be gospel oriented, focused on God and what He has done. It will be an encouragement not to look at people or the church and the disappointments and failures, but look to God.]

Our Easter Series will be called Hope: Desiring a Better World. All of us have deep longings and intense desires for a more perfect world. The people that lined the streets on Palm Sunday were looking for something more, something better, something different. They were hoping for a better world. We are really no different. We live in a world of disappointments, discouragements, disease, death and more. All of us have unfulfilled expectations. We know too, hope can be tender and fragile, so we seek a hope that is grounded and resilient. Then on Easter Sunday, we discover others finding “hope” among a pantheon of gods, all of them promising something bigger, something better, something more. Paul breaks in with a description of the One True God who promises the hope of a Better World. The proof of this radical, well-grounded hope is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection promises the hope of eternal life in a perfect world of love.

The people were seeking more! Inside their hearts were aspirations and desires for a better world. We have longings to be loved. They followed the crowds “for the next best hope,” but in this case it truly was the BEST HOPE. Jesus was sent by God and came in the name of the Lord. Like the crowd, our view of God is often too small. They saw Jesus only as a prophet, perhaps even the Messiah, but it was all too small. God promised more and delivered more than we could ever imagine, hope for or dream!

This is the last message in the series on Daniel. The focus will be on the “Christ Sightings” in the book to achieve the unimaginable. Three main ones will be reviewed: 1) the great stone that crushes the kingdoms of this world (2:34-35, 44); 2) the Son of Man who is given dominion by the Ancient of Days (7:13-14); and the coming Messiah who will be cut off (9:25-26). All these will show God’s Grand Plan fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth. All of this is written to encourage, sustain, and strengthen us to fight the battles we face in the 21st century.

Some things just can be fixed; they need to be recreated. Evil will be fully and finally defeated. Sin and sickness will be defeated. The broken will be made whole. Tears will be wiped away. So, two questions get asked, “how long?” and “what will the outcome be?” The first is answered with a reply heard earlier in the book, but has repercussions for the end times. The second goes unanswered (or already answered). We must wait with confidence that God will keep all of His promises. Jesus will return as King and Judge.

God's Grand Plan to Achieve the Unimaginable

These few verses are meant to comfort and encourage Daniel and God’s people. First, there is deliverance for God’s people that rages against them—then and now. Michael is the angelic prince, Israel’s defender. At the end of the end, Satan will attempt to destroy all God’s people with a time of unprecedented tribulation. As Jesus said, “there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.” Secondly, Daniel and God’s people are comforted and encouraged by the hope of resurrection.

Wars and More Wars, but God is in Control

While these final verses of chapter 11 continue from our last message, they point beyond to another great, but destructive leader. Jesus spoke in the same way in Matthew 24 of near events folded into faraway events. The end of this chapter reminds us the battle is ultimately the kingdoms of this world against the kingdom of God or Humanity against God. There is more yet to come and we need to continually trust on God who is in control and cares for His people. While we are prone to fear, anxiety, discouragement and depression when all seems so dark, there is always hope. Jesus only gives us this hope because He is the final Conqueror.

Wars and More Wars, but God is in Control

The war mentioned (10:1) is now focused on empires at war. The intensity and longevity of these wars will cause the people of God to wonder if God even knows or cares. Depression and Discouragement can easily follow. However, the details Daniel gives are mind-boggling, but factual and futuristic to him. The point of God revealing this is that He is in control and we need to trust Him rather than take matters into our own hands. Too easily we rely on politics, science or our own ingenuity. Nothing will get in the way of God’s plans. There is much to learn about the ways God shows His love and care—He warns, He limits and He delivers. “Those who know their God will be strong and take action.” (11:32)

Daniel 10 brings us into the final vision (chapters 10-12) that involves a great war, a conflict of unimaginable magnitude. Though exiles are returning to Israel and things should be getting better, but Daniel is found in a time of mourning and fasting. He encounters a heavenly messenger that reminds us of the holiness and glory of God, but also of the reality is life is hard for God’s people and why life is so difficult. There is an assurance of God’s care in hardship revealed in “touches.” This chapter also prepares us to understand the war, especially the spiritual dimensions. What surprises us is that the conflicts here on earth have a counterpart in the heavenly realm. The upshot is that we need to have spiritual armor to fight the spiritual battles. Our battle is a spiritual battle, not one against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). Jesus won our victory at the Cross and proved it through the Resurrection!

Our Only Hope

Daniel was in prayer and a vision comes to him that was at once staggering, confusing and full of hope. In prayer he was concerned for the people of God because of the Babylonian captivity prophesied by Jeremiah and God’s promises to deliver them. There was the promise of the new covenant by Jeremiah that caused further intrigue. Daniel had his own hopes of what he wanted God to do, but God would make Daniel’s largest dreams pale in comparison to what God wanted to do! A day was coming when God would act and send His Anointed One to atone for sin and even put an end to sin and bring everlasting Righteousness. A new covenant would be established! But there would be a time between that rocked Daniel’s world and will rock ours! Are we ready to receive all that God has for us? (Note: This message can set us up for the Lord’s Supper.)