How Do You Prepare for the Return of Jesus Christ? | Part 1 | Matthew 24:1-36
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How Do You Prepare for the Return of Jesus Christ? | Matthew 24:1-36
Series: All!
Jesus has all authority,
So that all nations
Might pledge all allegiance to him.
Title: “How do you prepare for the return of Jesus Christ?”
Scripture: Matthew 24:1-36
Bottom line: In light of Jesus’ 2 prophecies, Jesus calls us to prepare for his imminent return.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
SERMON OUTLINE & NOTES
MAIN REFERENCES USED
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Discussion questions for group and personal study. Reflect and Discuss:
1. What differentiates unhelpful speculation from a sincere desire to understand our future hope?
2. Summarize the overarching point of Matthew 24:1-36 in one or two sentences.
3. What factors make it difficult to determine the timing and the relationship between the destruction of Jerusalem and Jesus' second coming?
4. How should we respond to those who take a different view of prophecies such as those we read in Matthew 24?
5. Explain how this passage points us away from sinful, short-term pleasures.
6. How does this text speak to the authority and divinity of Jesus Christ?
7. What kind of treatment should believers expect as they await Christ's return?
8. What does it look like for followers of Christ to be eagerly watching for Jesus and urgently working for His kingdom purposes?
9. As it concerns Jesus' return, which truths in this passage should discourage us from date-setting or from making rash judgments based on current events?
10. How should the second coming of Christ inform our witness in the world?
Final Questions (optional or in place of above)
What is God saying to you right now?
What are you going to do about it?
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Q. What do I want them to know?
A. Jesus is coming back to establish his eternal reign on earth.
Q. Why do I want them to know it?
A. So that they will make sure that they are ready for his return.
Q. What do I want them to do about it?
A. 1) Get ready for his return, 2) Help others do the same.
Q. Why do I want them to do it?
A. Because their eternal destiny is cast in stone once Jesus returns.
Q. How can they begin to do this?
A. 1) Repent and believe the gospel, 2) Lead others to do the same.
SERMON OUTLINE & NOTES
Introduction
Today we will answer the question: How do I prepare for the return of Jesus?
Illustration (RC Sproul):
“Imagine that you are part of my congregation at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida. One Sunday morning, when I step into the pulpit to deliver my sermon, you hear me give the following statement:
“Last night I received a special revelation from God. I was given a vision in which God told me things that will shortly come to pass. Sometime within the next twelve months, the United States of America will fall as a nation. The Capitol Building and the White House will be destroyed. The union of the fifty states will be dissolved. America as an independent nation will be no more. I do not know the exact date. I cannot tell you the day, the week, or even the month. But I know that within the next twelve months, all these things will come to pass.”
I suggest this hypothetical scenario as a way to help you put yourself in the place of Jesus’ disciples, who heard Him speak the words in the texts of Matthew 24 that we are considering in this chapter, as well as the whole sum and substance of the Olivet Discourse, which is found in all three of the Synoptic[…]”
Excerpt From, Matthew - An Expositional Commentary, R.C. Sproul
David Platt asks us several questions to consider:
Are we ready for whatever may happen in our life this week or in the next year?
Are we prepared for what may happen in the world in the next 10 years?
Are you absolutely certain of where your life will be in eternity?
SERMON OUTLINE
I. Context
A. Jesus is just days from the cross.
B. Jesus shocks the disciples talking about 2 prophesies
AD 70
His return in the future
II. Jesus shares 12 imperatives they should observe as they await the fulfillment of his prophecies.
A. “Watch out” (4)
B. “Not alarmed” (6)
C. “Flee to the mountains” (16)
D. “Let no one go down” (17)
E. “Let no one go back” (18)
F. “Pray” (20)
G. “Do not believe it” (23)
H. “Do not go out” (26)
I. “Do not believe it” (26)
J. “Learn this lesson” (32)
III. Jesus shares lesson from fig tree.
IV. Jesus’ words are eternally trustworthy.
Conclusion
Bottom line: In light of Jesus’ 2 prophecies, Jesus calls us to prepare for his imminent return.
Are you ready for his return?
Repent and believe. The first way to prepare is to trust Jesus’ words, ways and works. That is the good news of the kingdom that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. To rest in that for our eternal security.
Obey, pray and discern. The second way is to obey his words, pray as he directs, and hear what other people are saying about him with great discernment.
Pray
Notes
“When” is the return or second coming of Jesus Christ is the most asked question by far.
David Platt’s notes
I. Trust in the Authority of Christ.
A. Understanding the text.
Prophecy concerning the destruction of Jerusalem.
Prophecy concerning the return of Jesus.
B. Applying the text.
The things of this world are passing.
The truth of his word is permanent.
II. Persevere in the Power of Christ.
A. Followers of Jesus will face deception.
B. Followers of Jesus will face tribulation.
Christians are not saved from trials.
Christians are saved through trials.
C. Followers of Jesus will face temptation.
D. Followers of Jesus will face persecution.
Persecution inevitably follows kingdom proclamation.
Proclamation ultimately results in kingdom consummation.
III. Long for the Coming of Christ.
A. He came the first time lying in a manger; He will come the second time riding on the clouds.
B. He came the first time in humility to provide salvation; He will come the second time in glory to execute judgment.
C. Christians confidently watch: His timing will confound our wisdom.
D. Christians patiently wait: His return will exceed our expectations.
Ex. Christians urgently work: His church (our lives!) will accomplish his mission.
“His return will exceed our expectations.
We've all been hopeful for some thing or some anticipated event, waiting eagerly to experience it, only to be deeply disappointed when it didn't meet our expectations. It will not be so with the second coming of Christ. Our words are inadequate to describe the glory of what that scene will be like, as well as all that will unfold in the days to come after that. In The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis gives us a rich, imaginative picture of what that eternal state will be like. He ends the last book in the series like this:
‘As Aslan spoke, he no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.’
For believers, the return of Christ and the end of this world will be the beginning of a new heaven and a new earth (Rev 21-22). While waiting and watching confidently, Christians urgently work. We fight deception and temptation, we persevere through tribulation, and we…”
David Platt, Matthew, P. 323
MAIN REFERENCES USED
“Preaching the Word” Commentary, Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Edited by Kent Hughes
“Matthew” by RC Sproul
“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)
“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)
“Exalting Jesus in Matthew” by David Platt (CCE)
Outline Bible, D Willmington
NIV Study Bible (NIVSB) https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/
ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) https://www.esv.org
ChatGPT https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt