Ready or Not…Here He Comes! (Pentecost 9C Gospel)

Download a PDF of the Word One Bible Study for Pentecost 9C Gospel.

Text: Luke 12:22-34(35-40) for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Series C

OBJECTIVES

Focusing on verses 32-40, participants will:

1. Become more aware of Christ’s impending return.
2. Discover ways to get ready and remain ready for His second coming.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Bible

BUILDING COMMUNITY

1. Describe how you felt or what it was like when you had to anxiously wait for someone special (a favorite relative, friend or a date) to arrive at your house.
2. Can you think of a time when an event or person came and you weren’t ready? Perhaps you hadn’t quite finished an assignment when the teacher asked for it, or maybe you made a mess and hadn’t gotten it cleaned up before your parents arrived home, or maybe your date arrived too early.
3. How do you know that Jesus is coming again?

LOOKING AT GOD’S WORD

1. Read Luke 12:32-40. Why do you think today’s lesson talks about “a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. . .” right before the parable about the servants preparing for their master’s return? How might the two be connected?
2. Read Matthew 24:27, 36-39, 42-44; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 and Mark 13:32-37 and discuss the different ways Jesus’ return was described.
3. Jesus told several parables to remind His followers to be ready at all times for His return. Two of them are found in Matthew 24:44-51 and Matthew 25:1-13. Read one or both parables and look for a specific verse(s) that warn us to be ready for Jesus’ return.

REINFORCING WHAT HAS BEEN LEARNED

1. Make a list of some of the places you went and things you did this past week. How would you have felt if Christ had returned at any of those times? happy? sad? embarrassed?
2. Jesus has promised His followers that He will come back to earth again. You can find these promises in: John 14:1-3; Matthew 26:64; 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
3. Check your life for the things you should be doing (but aren’t) and things you are doing (but probably shouldn’t be). What would you do differently if you knew Jesus would be returning one year from today? Two weeks from today?

CLOSING

Open an umbrella as you lead a prayer asking God to help us always be prepared to serve Jesus. Remind the group how much more important it is to be prepared for Christ’s return than it is to prepare for bad weather.

By Steven Pickel

Originally published in Discovery Bible Studies.

Updated for youthESource in August 2016.