When you were growing up, what feelings or images did you associate with the return of Christ, or of the end of the world if you didn’t grow up in church? How have those perceptions shaped you?

 

In Mark 13, Jesus repeatedly commands His disciples to “watch” and “be alert.” Based on this passage, what does spiritual alertness actually look like? What does it not look like?

 

Paul tells the Thessalonian believers to “encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18). Why do you think the promise of Christ’s return was intended to comfort suffering Christians rather than fuel speculation?

 

The sermon distinguished between Christ’s imminent return and God’s immanent presence. How does believing that Jesus could return at any moment (and that He is present with us even now) shape the way we interpret uncertainty and suffering?

 

Which of these diagnostic questions resonates most deeply with you right now, and why?

  • What (or who) are you waiting for?
  • What future are you organizing your life around?
  • Would Jesus’ return interrupt your plans or fulfill your deepest hopes?
  • Are you awake to Christ’s kingdom or asleep in the comforts and anxieties of this age?

If you are honest, what emotions arise when you think about Jesus returning? Hope? Anxiety? Indifference? Excitement? What might those emotions reveal about the things you love, fear, or cling to most?

 

The sermon suggested that “perhaps the greatest evidence of spiritual wakefulness is not that we can predict Christ’s coming, but that we desire it.” What do you think it means to cultivate a genuine longing for Jesus’ appearing?

 

Which of the five prescriptions from this week’s message do you most need to practice in this season of life?

  • Practice hope daily.
  • Hold earthly things loosely.
  • Encourage one another.
  • Do the next faithful thing.
  • Cultivate holy longing.

 

What is one specific way you can put that into practice this week?

 

What is the “next faithful thing” Jesus is inviting you to do right now? Is there a conversation to have, a habit to begin, a relationship to repair, a person to serve, or an act of obedience you’ve been delaying?

 

Who in your life needs encouragement rooted in the hope of Christ’s return? How might you intentionally remind them this week that death, suffering, and injustice will not have the final word?  Close by praying the simple prayer of the early church: “Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus.”