Opens in a new tab
All Resources

God is Awesome

Adam Pursel
October 4, 2026
Resolute
Daniel
Discipleship, Growing in your faith

Sermon Summary

Big Idea

While human life is frequently negatively impacted by sin, sorrow, and death, God has orchestrated a plan through Jesus Christ to ultimately replace them with eternal love, joy, and life.

Overview & Key Insights

In Daniel 9, we encounter Daniel in his early-to-mid 80s, having lived nearly 70 years in exile under a hostile foreign power. Despite enduring decades of exile and loss, Daniel’s perception of God remains unchanged: God is awesome. The passage splits into two major sections: Daniel’s earnest prayer and the prophecy delivered to him by the angel Gabriel.

1. Daniel’s Prayer (Daniel 9:1–19)

Pastor Adam highlighted five critical components of Daniel’s prayer life:

  • Word: Daniel’s prayer was birthed out of meditating on God’s word (specifically the 70-year prophecy in Jeremiah 25 & 29, as well as Deuteronomy). True prayer is often our response back to God after hearing Him speak in Scripture.
  • My: Daniel repeatedly addresses God as “my God.” Even in exile, he maintained a deeply personal relationship with his Creator.
  • Awesome: Before making requests, Daniel leads with adoration, praising God’s covenant faithfulness and majesty.
  • Sin: Daniel does not minimize, make excuses, or hide from guilt. He openly and fully confesses his sin and the corporate sin of his people.
  • Both: Daniel recognizes that God is both righteous (holy, setting boundaries) and merciful (forgiving, drawing us near). Remembering both prevents us from becoming passive toward sin or fearful of repenting.

2. God’s Promises via Gabriel (Daniel 9:20–27)

In response to Daniel’s prayer, the angel Gabriel delivers a message containing six core promises about what God will accomplish in the future:

  1. Put an end to sin
  2. Atone for iniquity
  3. Bring in everlasting righteousness
  4. Seal up vision and prophecy
  5. Anoint a most holy place
  6. Reconcile humanity to God so we can experience eternal love, joy, and life

The timeline outlined in the text (the “70 weeks” or 490 years, divided into $7 + 62 + 1$ units) forecasts the coming of an Anointed One (Jesus Messiah) who would be “cut off” (crucified) to accomplish atonement. While interpretations differ on the precise starting date (538 BC under Cyrus vs. 457 BC under Artaxerxes), the ultimate takeaway is unmistakable: God fulfilled His word by sending Jesus to conquer sin and death forever.



LifeGroup Leader Guide

Passage: Daniel 9:1–27

Key Focus: Prayer, Confession, and God’s Promise to End Sin through Jesus

Group Goal

To encourage believers to align their prayer lives with Scripture, maintain an honest practice of confession, and rest in the assurance that God has atoned for our sin through Christ.

1. Warm-Up & Catch Up

  • What is one practical habit or tool that has helped you stay organized or focused in your daily routine recently?
  • In your own words, how would you describe a time when you found it easy or difficult to see that “God is awesome”?

2. Context & Scripture Reading

Have someone read Daniel 9:1–11 and Daniel 9:18–24 aloud.

3. Discussion Questions

Part A: Daniel’s Prayer (v. 1–19)

Question 1: Prompted by the Word

Daniel’s prayer began while he was reading and reflecting on the prophet Jeremiah. How often does your reading of Scripture lead directly into prayer? What makes it challenging to transition from just “reading” the Bible to “talking with God” about it?

Question 2: Personal Relationship (“My God”)

Despite being in exile for nearly 70 years, Daniel continuously refers to God as “my God.” How do difficult seasons or long trials affect our ability to view God as personally active in our lives?

Question 3: Remembering God is “Both”

Pastor Adam shared that the enemy tries to make us forget either that God is righteous or that He is merciful.

  • What happens to a person’s faith when they only focus on His righteousness?
  • What happens when they only focus on His mercy?
  • Which of these two truths do you tend to forget more easily?

Question 4: Radical Honesty in Confession

Daniel didn’t try to hide or minimize Israel’s sin in his prayer. Why can it be so hard for us to confess our sins transparently to God and trusted believers? How does knowing God is merciful help us bring our sin into the light?

Part B: God’s Promises & Deliverance (v. 20–27)

Question 5: From Sin & Sorrow to Love & Joy

God promised through Gabriel that He would bring sin to an end, atone for iniquity, and bring in everlasting righteousness. How does the reality of Jesus being “cut off” (crucified) give you hope when you encounter sin, sorrow, and death in the world today?

4. Practical Application & Prayer

Leader Note: Guide your group into a time of prayer modeled after Daniel 9—focusing on Adoration, Confession, and Thanksgiving before moving to Requests.
  • Adoration: Spend time praising God for His character, His righteousness, and His steadfast love.
  • Confession: Take a moment of silence for personal, honest confession, thanking God for the mercy found in Jesus Christ.
  • Intercession: Pray for one another’s current seasons—that each person in the group would be granted the spiritual vision to see how awesome God is, regardless of their circumstances.