Week Six
How Should I Live In Light Of Jesus' Return?
Scripture does not give us the return of Christ to satisfy our curiosity about the future — it gives us the return of Christ so that God's future might begin reshaping our present.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord, You have not left us in the dark about where history is headed. Steady our hearts tonight — not to grow anxious about "times and seasons," but to live wide awake, sober, and full of hope, because Christ is coming again. In Jesus' name, Amen.
ICEBREAKER
Think of a time you were genuinely looking forward to something — a trip, a reunion, a big event. How did the anticipation shape how you spent the days leading up to it?
If you found out Jesus was returning next month, what is the first thing you'd want to change about how you're living right now?
SCRIPTURE READING
1 Thessalonians 5:1–11. Read it aloud slowly. Consider a second reading of verses 4–11, listening for what our identity as "children of light" is meant to produce.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Why do you think curiosity about the future is so much easier for us than faithfulness in the present? Have you ever seen speculation about Christ's return distract someone from actually following Him?
Why do you think he keeps circling back to the theme of the hope of Christ’s return when writing to a young, struggling church? What does that suggest about what this church actually needed to hear?
"You do not have to cram all of your existential fulfilment into the few decades of this present life. There is more life coming." How would truly believing this change the way you handle disappointment, ambition, or fear right now?
Paul can call the return of Christ our confidence rather than our fear. Does the thought of Christ's return feel more like dread or more like hope to you, and why?
PERSONAL REFLECTION
Sit quietly with this question: if I lived today fully convinced that Jesus could return at any moment, what — if anything — would I do differently before I go to sleep tonight?
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Identify one area of quiet complacency — a "peace and security" you've been resting in that isn't Christ — and bring it to God in prayer this week.
Reach out to encourage or build up one person in your life group or church this week (v. 11), rather than waiting for a special occasion.
Choose one "risk" you've been avoiding out of fear — a hard conversation, a step of obedience, an act of generosity — and take it, remembering that this life is not the only life you will ever have.
CLOSING PRAYER
Father, thank You that Jesus is coming again, and that His coming is not a threat to us but our hope. Help us stay awake, live soberly, encourage one another, and give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord, knowing that in Him our labour is never in vain. In Jesus' name, Amen.