LESSON OBJECTIVES
Goals
1. To help students understand the first century perspective of the last things
2. To motivate students to allow the last things to effect their lives today
3. To equip students to make appointments concerning how to prepare for the last things.
Topics
Discernment, Encouragement, Endurance, Preparedness, Return of Jesus
Scripture Memorization
2 Peter 3:17
OPENING PRAYER (5 to 10 minutes)
GROUP BUILDING (5 minutes)
Have group story telling time with a twist. Each member of the group has to help tell the story. As the group leader, you start with “once upon a time there was a _______________.” It is then the next persons turn. He or she has to fill in the blank with a couple sentences; such as “princess. She lived in a castle in the far away land of ________________).”
Then, the next student continues by filling in that blank and furthering the story. He or she will stop abruptly and it will be the next person’s turn to continue. Keep going until you have a good long story. It might take one or two stories to get the hang of it, but it can be a pretty funny exercise.
GETTING STARTED (10 minutes)
In the Bible, God tells a story. It’s a story of creation, sin, salvation, belonging, and a love that never fails. We know most of the story. But sometimes we get really timid talking about the end.
1 & 2 Peter talk about the Last Things in quite a bit of detail. Unlike Revelation, there aren’t any mysterious words to interpret. Peter makes the point that the end will come, but his purpose is to expose how that should affect how we live our lives now.
Discussion Questions:
• When you think about the end of time, what emotions do you feel?
• Some Christians struggle with living for today instead of longing for the end. Why do you think that is? Do you ever feel that way?
• Popular media and contemporary thought have distorted the last things a little bit in our minds. What do you think the end of time will be like?
(Understanding where kids are in their thinking at the beginning of this lesson can help you aim the contents of these passages more appropriately.)
DIGGING IN (30 minutes)
There are two passages in 1 & 2 Peter that talk about the last things. I want to read both of them first, and then we’ll go back in and drill a little deeper into each.
Read 1 Peter 4:7-11
Discussion Questions:
1. In 1 Peter 4:7, when does Peter say the end will come? (It is near.)
2. This realization should produce what in Christians? (A clear mind, self-control, and prayer.)
3. He gives further instruction on how to behave with the end of things as a backdrop. Verses 8-11 give what counsel? (To love one another, to use your lives to serve others, and to take these actions seriously.)
4. How do the last things motivate these early Christians? (To live godly lives now.)
Read 2 Peter 3
Discussion Questions:
1. Who will rise up in the last days, according to verse 3? (Scoffers)
2. What will those people have to say? (They will cast doubt on Christ’s return.)
3. How does God’s time measurement work? (A day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day.)
4. What do you think this means?
5. Peter says the day of the Lord will come like what? (A thief in the night.)
6. What will happen during Christ’s return, according to verses 10-13? (Destruction, fire, the earth will be laid bare, etc.)
7. Then Peter says “so then,” and describes how they should live. How is that? (Be spotless, blameless, and at peace with God.)
8. What else should we do, according to verse 17? (Be on our guard so that we are not carried away by lies. Grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus.)
So, two things are prominent in this text. First, the end is going to come. Second, this should change the way we live now. It is no different for us than when Peter first wrote these words.
MAKING IT REAL (10 minutes)
Discussion Questions:
• Peter describes the Lord’s coming as “soon.” Why do you think He has yet to return? How might this make Christians more apathetic concerning the end of time?
• In our world today, how do you see the last things discussed, talked about, and viewed?
• I asked you earlier what emotions you felt about the end of things. Honestly, do those emotions influence the way that you live? Why/why not?
(If possible, bring a calendar to your group. Find the current month and put an X on the date. Then, rip all the other pages out of the calendar, leaving only the current month. Suggest to your students that it is entirely possible that this is all the time they have left. Then ask the following questions.)
Discussion Questions:
• If you knew that this was true, how would you spend your time?
• If you knew that this was true, what are some things you would definitely do?
• If you knew that this was true, how else would you prepare?
(Pass out a sheet of paper to every student. On it, have them write at the top: Before the End.)
I want you, knowing that you don’t know when the end will come, to consider how your life should be affected. What are some things you know you shouldn’t be doing but you continue to do because you are living with no urgency? What are some things you aren’t doing but have always meant to do? What are some of your dreams, desires, and gifts that could help advance God’s Kingdom here on earth.
I challenge you to write down 4-5 things that would fall into Peter’s category of “growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.”
(Give students 5 minutes or so, then move on.)
Next, I want you to set a time to do those things. Make an appointment. If it’s starting a ministry, decide your first steps. If it’s kicking a habit, make a decision on who will help to hold you accountable. If it’s righting a sour relationship, set a date to approach that person. If we are convinced we don’t know when our “tomorrows” will run out, we should stop living like we can put things off.
I started today by talking about God’s story. The truth is, His story hasn’t ended. In fact, a lot like we experienced earlier, He has left us a blank to fill in. We advance His story and His Kingdom each time we fill in a blank. As Christians, we play a huge role in continuing His story on earth. No one has said “The End” yet. Until God says so, we have a life to live—a life to live for God.
So get busy.
CLOSING PRAYER (2 minutes)
Invite any student who wants to pray to do so. Have the students pray for one another, for their own ability to prepare for God’s arrival, and for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.