Series: Resilience
Message: Safety
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira

Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 24:1-6.

Read: Daniel 10-12 - As you re-read for the final time this week in the ESV translation, what did you discover new about God’s character?

Reflect: If you had the chance to know the day you would fall in love, get married, have your first child, or the day you would pass away -would you want to know? There is always going to be one personality that is keen to know all of that, for the majority of humanity, knowing would remove the experience of life. It is in fact, a temptation to be God that pushes us to try to know all the future, and this misses the whole intent of prophecy. As we come to the end of the Book of Daniel, we do not know with the same certainty what the 1290 and 1335 days mean. We do not understand for sure the implications. What we know is that towards the end of this world, which means Jesus will return and re-create planet earth, a serious interest in prophecy will arise. That interest will create new passion to turn all eyes onto Jesus. I believe that our Church in its essence knows that while this world is not our permanent home in its current state, it does belong to God. As followers of Jesus, as believers in the full Gospel story, as men and women of incredible honor, we ought to be on the front line of everything that matters locally and globally. We should be actively working towards healing and restoring justice and love in our communities. We should embrace the cross and celebrate the Kingdom of God is here and the Kingdom of Heaven is yet to come.  We should have our Churches be centers of influence that change our lives. We should invest in our children and honor the old. We should live a life of beauty in anticipation of Jesus.  We should create life moments each day and treasure the breath we have.  We should write poetry, books, music and lyrics that inspire an honest conversation. We should advance good through our art, and our vocations.  We should express hope in our very actions that Jesus presents to us each day.  That is the Advent Hope in Jesus. Expressed in action and focusing on how and ultimately who He is.

Recalibrate:

1. Jesus is coming soon….what does that mean to you?

Respond: Pray for the soon return of Jesus.

Research: Read one of the books or commentaries for this series on chapters 10-12 .