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December 1, 2002 - Isaiah 63:7-64:12; Mark 13:23-27

Open It

1. Why do you think you are nostalgic about certain periods of time in your past?
2. What have you read or been taught about the Second Coming of Christ?
3. What do you find confusing or difficult to understand about what the Bible says about the future?

Explore It

4. For what did Isaiah and the people of his day long? (64:1-4)
5. After acknowledging what God could do, how did Isaiah take responsibility on behalf of Israel for their own plight? (64:5)
6. How did Isaiah view the "righteous" deeds of the people, which they might have used to argue that they deserved God's favor? (64:6-7)
7. What craftsman's image did Isaiah use to express Israel's dependence on God? (63:8)
8. On what basis did Isaiah ask God to relent from His anger? (64:9-12)
9. What events will happen right before the Second Coming of Christ? (13:24-25)
10. What will Christ's return be like? (13:26-27)

Get It

11. Why is God's own nature, rather than our own, our best appeal to Him for forgiveness and restoration?
12. Why is it good for believers to rehearse the instances of God's faithfulness in the past?
13. Why is it a privilege to be called by the Name of God?
14. What characterizes the people on whose behalf God acts?
15. Why do you think Jesus told His disciples not to worry about what to say whenever they were arrested for their faith?
16. Why do you think Jesus has told us "everything ahead of time" about His return and the end times?
17. How can we be on our guard against false Christs and false prophets who perform signs and miracles to deceive us?
18. How does the promise of the Holy Spirit's active presence encourage you to follow Christ through difficult times?

Apply It

19. What visual reminder could you place where you will see it often to remind you to trust in God's righteousness and not your own?
20. What acts of kindness in your history can form the basis for thanksgiving and testimony this coming week?
21. What can you read or do this week to strengthen your hold on the truth about Christ?
22. What concrete action can you take to become more actively involved in telling others about Christ?

    God's appearance is so intense that it is like a consuming fire that burns everything in its path. If we are so impure, how can we be saved? Only by God's mercy. The Israelites had experienced God's appearance at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16-19). When God met with Moses there was a thunderstorm, smoke, and an earthquake. If God were to meet us today, his glory would overwhelm us, especially when we look at our "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).

    In Jesus' day the world seemed concrete, dependable, and permanent. These days many people fear its destruction by nuclear war. Jesus tells us, however, that even if the earth passes away, the truth of his words will never be changed or abolished. God and his Word provide the only stability in our unstable world. How shortsighted people are who spend their time learning about this temporary world and accumulating its possessions, while neglecting the Bible and its eternal truths!

(Back to Helps Home Page)     (Sermon, December 1, 2002)
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