Sunday, November 14. 2021 AM (pt. 1)

Good morning everyone! Welcome to Sunnyside. This morning we're glad that you're here to worship with us today.

A few announcements as we get started this morning. Hope you had a good Sunday school. Come back this evening.

We've got our churchwide Thanksgiving fellowship that we will have together. Just as a point of information, we're gonna start out the evening in here in the auditorium and get some instructions as far as what we need to do.

So be sure and when you get here don't go straight to the fellowship hall after you drop your food off of course.

Come back in here and then we'll get instructions and then we'll break and go do what we need to do.

Coming up Wednesday we'll have dinner at 545 and then tag and prayer meeting for the kids at 630.

Looking ahead to next Sunday in the evening Christmas choir for the adults starts.

So if you are interested in joining the Christmas choir that's going to start at 530 p .m.

and then Wednesday the 24th there will be no services Wednesday night services.

It's the week of Thanksgiving so there may be people traveling. Be in prayer for one another during that week but enjoy your family and friends then as well.

This week's spider verse comes from John chapter 14 verses 2 and 3. In my father's house are many rooms if it were not so would

I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you

I will come again and will take you to myself that where I am you may be also.

Good news if you hadn't heard about the successful shoebox packing party that happened last week they got over 132

I think shoeboxes packed so we are very thankful for that. Today is the last day if you can contribute towards helping to ship those boxes

I think it's $9 a box. If you want to give a check to Jill Smoot made out to Samaritan's Purse that will help cover the cost of shipping those boxes so they have plenty of those to ship out.

Also a blessing a praise it's in your bulletin but we were able to raise over $15 ,000 for the

Palika language the Bible translation there for Vernon Denny Johnson so we are very thankful for that as well.

And then lastly starting up in January a lot of work has been going on already behind the scenes but we're going to be having a podcast featuring

Michael and several others in the church regarding kind of Bible answers it's going to be called have you not read and they are starting to gather some questions so if you have some questions of what you would like to have covered or topics that you would like for them to talk about you can go to the church website and there's a section on there and there's also a

URL in the bulletin where you can submit those questions electronically so they're trying to gather those ahead of time to make sure that the content is ready to be put out there as well.

All right any other announcements before we start this morning? Okay we're gonna have a time of prayer and preparation for worship and then after we're done with that dad will come up and open us in prayer.

Lord God Almighty you're the one who was and is and is to come the eternal creator of all things there is no

God like you Lord as we come this morning we confess that in our sinfulness we worship so many other things we worship our stuff we worship our sports we worship ourselves

Lord would you cleanse our hearts this morning and forgive us and give us the grace that we need to worship you and you alone for you and you alone are worthy

Lord may we proclaim with those in heaven may we say worthy is the

Lamb who was slain to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing and may we with every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth may we say to him who sits on the throne and to the

Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever may we fall down and give you worship for you are worthy in Jesus name we pray amen do you stand with me for our call to worship this morning our passage this morning is in Psalms chapter 72 we'll be reading verses 1 through 4 read with me together give the king your justice

O God and your righteousness to the royal son may he judge your people with righteousness and your poor with justice let the mountains bear prosperity for the people and the hills in righteousness may he defend the cause of the poor of the people give deliverance to the children of the needy and crush the oppressor our first song this morning first two songs in our

Psalms for worship hymnals we'll be singing pages 72 a and page 100

D God give your judgments to the king and make a joyful noise Oh Verse two.

Mountains will bring prosperity

The hills bring peace by righteousness

He'll judge the poor, their yanks and free

And crush the ones who have no friends

Make a joyful noise Page a hundred

D Make a joyful noise, shout to the Lord all the earth

Serve the Lord with gladness, come to His presence with singing

Know that the Lord, He is God It is

He who hath made us and not we ourselves We are

His people, the sheep of His pasture Enter into His gates with thanksgiving

And enter His courts with praise

Show thankfulness to Him and bless His name For the

Lord is good, His love is everlasting His truth endures to every generation

Let's sing that again. Make a joyful noise, shout to the

Lord all the earth Serve the Lord with gladness, come to His presence with singing

Know that the Lord, He is God It is

He who hath made us and not we ourselves We are

His people, the sheep of His pasture Enter into His gates with thanksgiving

And enter His courts with praise

Show thankfulness to Him and bless His name

For the Lord is good, His love is everlasting

His truth endures to every generation

And then, our last song for this section is Crown Him with Many Crowns, page 234 in your regular hymn book.

Crown Him with Many Crowns Crown Him with Many Crowns Crown Him with Many Crowns Lord of all, behold

His hands and side Rich, rich and visible above In beauty glorified

No angel in the sky

Can fully bear that sight

But who bends His wond 'ring eye

At mysteries so bright To crown

Him the Lord of life Who triumphed o 'er the grave

Who rose victorious Lost to the strife

For us He came to save His glory now we see

Who died and rose on high Who died eternal life to bring

Then is that day begun

Crown Him the Lord of heaven One with the

Father and all One with the

Spirit through Him From your glorious throne

To you be endless praise

For thou for us hast died

With our human worst days

For joy that night is o 'er

King of Judah And it was told to the house of David saying,

Syria's forces are deployed in Ephraim. So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.

Then the Lord said to Isaiah, Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and Shear -Jeshub, your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool on the highway to the fuller's field, and say to him,

Take heed and be quiet. Do not fear or be faint -hearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezan and Syria and the son of Remaliah, Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying,

Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in his wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel.

Thus says the Lord God, It shall not stand, nor shall it come to pass.

For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezan. Within sixty -five years,

Ephraim will be broken, so that it will not be a people. The head of Ephraim is

Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son. If you will not believe, surely you shall not be established.

Moreover, the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign for yourself from the

Lord your God. Ask it either in the depth or in the height above. But Ahaz said,

I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord. Then he said, Hear now,

O house of David. Is it a small thing for you to weary men? But will you weary my

God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name

Immanuel. Curds and honey he shall eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.

For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.

The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father's house.

Days that have not come since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah. Would you pray with me?

Lord God, I pray that you would fill our hearts with thanksgiving and praise as we reflect upon your many blessings to us.

We thank you for your word to Ahaz through the prophet

Isaiah. How, even in the midst of the great sinfulness and apostasy of Israel and Judah, you so graciously spoke concerning your son,

Immanuel, God with us. A rebuke to wicked king

Ahaz in his unbelief. For the sign was not for his eyes, but for the eyes of those who would come centuries later, that they might see and believe and be saved.

And we, likewise, from this side of the incarnation, have seen this prophecy fulfilled through the eyes of faith, bearing witness that your word is true and your promises are sure.

Lord, please bless our time together today and magnify your son,

Jesus Christ, in our hearts. As for his sake we pray, amen. You may be seated.

Before we sing our next two songs, I'd like to read a couple verses from 1 and 2 Samuel. This is 1

Samuel 2. There is no one holy like the Lord. Indeed, there was no one besides thee, nor is there any rock like our

God. And then also 2 Samuel 7, 22. For this reason thou art great,

O Lord God. For there is none like thee, and there is no God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

Our next song is Behold Our God. Who has held the oceans in His hands?

Who has numbered every great stand?

Kings and nations tremble at His voice.

All creation rises to rejoice.

Behold our God, seated on the throne.

Come, let us adore Him. Behold our

King, nothing can compare. Come, let us adore

Him. As given of the

Lord's creation, many are

His works. Who can teach the one who knows all things?

Who can fathom all His wondrous deeds?

Behold our God, seated on His throne.

Come, let us adore Him. Behold our

King, nothing can compare. Come, let us adore

Him. Who has felt the bearing of God eternal?

Humble to the grave, Jesus Savior. Risen now to reign.

Behold our God, seated on His throne.

Come, let us adore Him. Behold our

King, nothing can compare. Come, let us adore

Him. You will reign forever.

You will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever, you will reign forever

Before the throne of God above,

I have a strong and burning plea, A great high priest whose name

His love means for me.

My name in His eyes, my name is written on His heart,

I know that while in heav 'n He stands, no tongue can beneath this depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair, he tells me of the guilt within.

I see Him there, who made an end of all my sin.

Because the sinless saved or died, my sinful soul is counted free.

For God not just is satisfied, to look on Him and pardon me.

To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there, the Risen Man, my perfect spotless righteousness.

The great and changeable I am, the

King of glory and of grace.

Born with Himself, I cannot die.

My soul is purchased by His blood.

My life is in Christ on high.

My Christ, my Savior and my God.

My Christ, my Savior and my

God. Let's go to the

Lord together in prayer. Father, I thank you so much for this opportunity to gather together in the name of Christ and to praise

His name, to gather together and to worship and to give thanksgiving to you,

Heavenly Father, who knows all of our needs. To worship together in the presence, by the power, in the unity of the

Holy Spirit. God, we give you the praise today.

We confess that we are in great need of your life and your blessings, your grace, your truth.

We are made in your image. We are saved for your glory.

We ask that you would help us to live in the fear of you and for your praise.

Thank you so much for those who have gathered here today. Put upon our hearts those who are not able to be here and we ask that you would comfort them and encourage them.

Help us to minister to their needs. Help us to love one another. And above all,

Lord, we ask that you would give us a clear view of your Son, Jesus Christ, from this text, that we might be, by looking at Him, transformed from glory to glory for the sake of your name.

We pray these things. Amen. Daniel chapter 7.

I advise you to turn there with me. Daniel chapter 7. We'll be reading verses 1 through 12 in a moment.

Chapter 7 of Daniel. And we're going to be reading verses 1 through 12.

Daniel is a book of riddles. Real life riddles in the matters of statecraft where death and life were on the line.

We've seen that in the last six chapters of Daniel. We saw how

Daniel responded in the fear of the Lord to the problems of paganism, to the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had, to the threats of statism.

Daniel's friends faced off with Nebuchadnezzar in the fiery furnace.

In chapter 4, we looked at God's resistance to the proud.

In chapter 5, we are reminded that we are in desperate need of God to reveal His truth to us.

And in chapter 6, we beheld a discerning son, a lawmaker at the right hand, faithful and wise, submitting to the lawgiver.

And so we have traced the critical moments of Daniel and his friends as they sought to solve the riddles of the state, the riddles of political history, the difficulties of living as believers in a pagan context.

And these are indeed riddles which can only be solved by wisdom, the wisdom of God, which of course begins with the fear of the

Lord. And so now in the second section of Daniel, beginning in chapter 7, we begin to hear

God's special revelations, visions that He gives to Daniel that manifest the glories of Christ.

These too are riddles, but they also are resolved by fearing the

Lord. They are best put to use in the fear of the Lord, and they are solved by the manifestation of the glories of Christ.

So if you'll stand with me, if you're able to, I want to read verses 1 through 12 of Daniel 7.

These are the words of our Lord. In the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed.

Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. Daniel spoke, saying, I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea, and four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.

The first was like a lion and had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off, and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it.

And suddenly another beast, a second like a bear, was raised up on one side and had three ribs in its mouth and between its teeth.

And they said thus to it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I looked, and there was another like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird.

The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. After this

I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong, it had huge iron teeth.

It was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.

I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots.

And there in this horn there were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous things.

I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated. His garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool.

His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him.

A thousand thousands ministered to him, ten thousand times ten thousands to before him.

The court was seated, and the books were opened. I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking.

I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame.

And as for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You may be seated.

In the brief history of our world, kings and kingdoms, world leaders and empires, have been splashed across time like so many fireworks against a deep, black, impenetrable sky.

They make their pop and fizzle. Their colors burn and fade.

Yet what remains after each display of power and shine?

The sky. The fireworks do not destroy the sky.

Although to the eyes of a little child, it may seem that that is indeed in danger. The kingdom of God may be hard to see from time to time behind the flash of men's power, but it remains utterly unscarred, deep and rich and abiding.

And all of the authority of God's kingdom has been given to Christ. And that comfort, that hope, makes all the difference for the saints.

Often we fear beasts like little ones get scared of firecrackers.

But there's no need. There's no need to fear beasts.

Because beasts are fragile. You maybe have never heard of beast fragility. But we're going to talk about beast fragility in Daniel chapter 7.

Because that's on display throughout the entirety of the chapter. We do not need to fear fragile beasts.

There's only one unstoppable king. The succession of kingdoms on display in Daniel chapter 7 verses 1 through 12.

In this first recorded vision of Daniel, we see the succession of kings and kingdoms much like the genealogies that we read in Genesis 5 and Genesis 10.

You know how it goes. So and so lived and he had this many kids and then he died.

And then this one lived and had this many kids and then he died. And then this one lived and had this many kids and he died.

And he died and he died and he died. Men come and men go, so also do their kingdoms.

They're fragile. Solomon observed this in Ecclesiastes 2 verses 18 through 20.

As he considered the glories of his own kingdom that he had labored hard to make better and better.

He said this to me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool.

Spoiler alert. Solomon's son Rehoboam was a fool. Back to the text.

Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun.

This also is vanity. Hebrew word chevel. It's empty. It's a breath. Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which

I had toiled under the sun. Why? Because if you find your significance and your meaning in the kingdom or the empire or even just the household or the business that you make, you will be sorely disappointed.

Because men come and men go, and kingdoms come and kingdoms go. It's because we're prideful.