WE DON'T KNOW WHEN JESUS WILL RETURN, BUT WE CAN BE READY WHEN HE DOES. (Matthew 24:36-44)
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SERMON NOTES:
Am I ready?
Matthew 24:36-44
We don’t know when Jesus will return, but we can be ready when he does.
Only the Father knows when Jesus is coming back. (36)
Many people will be unaware and unprepared. (37-41)
Therefore, stay awake. (42)
Therefore, be ready. (43-44)
Are YOU ready?
study questions:
For the Next Lesson – Matthew 24:36-44
1. Read verse 36. What is the main point of this verse? Who knows when Jesus will return? The rest of this passage (verses 37-44) explains how to live with the uncertainty of not knowing when Jesus will return.
2. Read verses 37-41. What was true of people in Noah’s time just before the flood according verses 38-39? Make as many observations as possible. Therefore, what is true of people now before the coming of Jesus? What point are verses 40-41 making? Will people be prepared or surprised when Jesus comes? How so? What will happen to people when Jesus comes?
3. Read verse 42. What is Jesus’ command here? Why should we follow this command? Read also 1 Corinthians 16:13, 1 Thessalonians 5:6, 1 Peter 1:13 and 1 Peter 5:8. What do each of these verses teach or command? Again, why is it important to be alert, watchful and “stay awake”? On a scale of 1-10 (10 being perfectly awake), how awake and alert are you? How can you go about waking yourself up and being more alert?
4. Read verses 43-44. What is the command given in these verses? Take a few moments to compare and contrast the command given here and the command given in verse 42. What does it look like to both heed and follow this command? Are you ready for the coming of Jesus? Do you need to grow in your readiness? How so? Are the people around you ready? How can you help others get ready?
5. So what. There are some people who are captivated by signs of the end times. How would you respond to a friend who is constantly studying signs of the end times and reading/listening to those trying to predict when Jesus will return? What should our mindset be as we live in the time between the first and second coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the king of Kings?