Grace Church of Cochrane

Christmas season is full of mythical tales. But many people scoff at Christians for believing "myths" such as the virgin conception of Jesus. Too many professing Christians turn down the volume and try to make the miracles and message of Christ's birth more acceptable to modern ears. But this advent, we're turning up the volume to celebrate and defend the fact that nothing is impossible with God.

Do you feel the world is broken? Do you wish that you could see it all made new? We do. And we will! This is the triumphant note the angel leaves ringing in Daniel's ear and one we need to hear.

There's a lot of historical predictions and details in Daniel 11. It's another reminder that the kingdoms of this world are in constant conflict, but God is always in control. He ordains fiery trial and tribulations with purpose: to define and refine his people

Chapter 10 is a long introduction to the final vision. We're confronted with the reality of angels and demons and conflicts behind the scenes. But most importantly Daniel was comforted and strengthened by the repreated truth that even in the midst of all-out war, he was greatly loved. Hearing this truth will also serve to strengthen us as we experience great conflicts, seen and unseen.

The vision of the 70 weeks is dizzying in all the details. Faithful Christians have disagreements over how to interpret the particulars, but the main message is clear enough: Jesus' death guarantees the greatest reset and redemption history has ever seen

There's a lot of things we don't know. However, we know we will suffer and groan under the curse. But knowing this, God has also given to us precious promises that we can know. In these verses, God gives us some of the most precious guarantees given to man, aptly called by some "the golden chain of salvation".

One of the distinguishing traits of truly being a Christian is how we relate to each other. Having been loved by God in Christ, we are transformed into a people who reflect the same love to one another.

We're taking a short break from apocalyptic visions of vicious beasts and heavenly beings. These verses are a masterclass in prayer. They show us how to pray out of meditation on the Scriptures and how to confess our sins and petition God for mercy

We come to the next vision Daniel sees. This vision was sealed and later revealed to remind God's people to trust the truth of God's Word completely even when others throw it to the ground.

The vision of the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man on their thrones is one of the mountaintop moments in the Old Testament. It's written to grab your mind's eye and help us focus on the facts - that Jesus Christ rules now and forevermore - even as we face ferocious beasts who wear us down.

Things are about to get apocalyptic for the next while. It might feel confusing, but these next few chapters are actually designed to do the opposite - they're designed to reveal reality. In Daniel 7 we come to one of the most important, revelatory passages in the Old Testament.

We're jumping back into our Daniel series.. We'll see that the handwriting on the wall is a message with profound relevance not only for kings, but for all humanity who are by nature boastful and blasphemous Belshazzar's in their own right

As we close out the summer and get ready for our fall ministry launch, we're going to look together at this first petition in the most famous prayer.

We’re redeemed by Jesus to be conduits of refreshment to Christ's people. The letter to Philemon shows us what that looks like in action.

Many voices call for our response. Most can be tuned out. But God's voice must never be ignored. The story of Israel reminds us that if we harden our hearts and refuse to obey God's command to endure in faith and obedience today, we won't enter the Sabbath Rest that remains for the people of God.

God is Lord over time, and his Word teaches us that rest time is not waste time. It's necessary and profitable for both our body and soul. This week we're looking at God's design for the Sabbath Schedule in Israel and how those principles apply to our stewardship of time today.