Break the ice. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met? How did you meet?

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Read 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10.

8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

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Discuss the seventh core, essential belief of Citizens Church: the Doctrine of Resurrection and Consummation of the Kingdom of God.

We believe that Jesus Christ is returning to the world in the future to judge the living and the dead.

The consummation of all things includes the future, physical, visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the glorification of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth.

What were the Thessalonians commended for in verse 8? How did their lives change after their belief in Christ?

What will happen at Christ’s return according to each passage? As you read each passage, take note of anything that is surprising, interesting or meaningful to you.

                    1 John 3:2-3

                    Romans 14:11-12

                    1 Thessalonians 4:16-5:3

                    2 Peter 3:10-11

                    Revelation 21:1-4

Borrowing from Peter, “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness?”

How can we wait actively for the kingdom? What does living eschatologically look like?

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Rest in God’s promises. The next great event in the fulfillment of prophecy is the second coming of Jesus Christ. He will return personally and visibly, in power and glory, to consummate his salvation and his judgment. When God saves someone through their faith in Christ, God does not merely save their spirit. He saves them as a whole person. Our salvation includes the resurrection of our bodies and the guarantee of eternal life with God in the new heavens and the new earth.

Close in prayer, giving thanks to God for his kingdom that is promised, guaranteed and at hand!